law enforcement and is not a replacement, but an enhancement of the system in place”(Kuechler, 2). Enhancement is the key word in the previous statement because the community policing program was not developed to remove traditional law enforcement and its techniques, but to place emphasis on the communication aspect of an officer’s career.It is unfortunate that all officers do not buy into community policing as a step in the right direction, but there always will be cynicism throughout the ranks no matter what action was taken. “Unfortunately for police managers, community policing may be viewed by officers in the field as social work and not crime fighting”(Winfree Jr., 593). Cynicism may sound like a very negative thing to have in a department, but it will continue to exist no matter what. “There is little room for cynicism. Critics who say the philosophy of community policing takes away from the enforcement role of the police officer and makes him ore her a ‘social worker’ fail to perceive its underlying effectiveness. The true practice of community policing may well save a cop’s life”(Community, 2). With the cynicism and pessimism that lurk in a department, officers can actually be helpful by honestly contributing to why they do not believe into the community policing concept, plus what is wrong with the current concept, and possibly what can be done to improve the concept, even though they do not want to be a part of it.There are times when a department is not ready to make the jump into community policing. “Police chiefs are pressured by citizens and local government officials to start ‘doing’ community policing”(Maguire, 369). When money and politics play a role in decision-making, the results and consequences are often disastrous. If townspeople keep hearing success stories about this town and that town nearby, the residents will most likely...
