LAPD’s New Outreach to the Public

When the Christopher Commission released its landmark report on the Los Angeles Police Department in July, 1991, near the top of its list of principal recommendations was adoption of “the ‘community-based policing’ model, emphasizing service to the public and prevention of crime.”

The panel, established in the wake of the Rodney King beating, had good reason to set such a high priority on community policing. Too many officers viewed elements of the public with resentment and hostility and too many citizens saw all police officers as callous or even inhumane. In large part, these attitudes had become entrenched because of failures of basic communication within the department and between the LAPD and the community.

Now there is an opportunity to rectify that sorry situation, thanks to several innovative programs. One such effort, directed by the department’s Community Police Academy, is a 30-hour course designed to familiarize city residents with police operations.

On Saturday the first class completed its training, and officials are hoping the graduates will help put an end to misconceptions about police. They also are hoping to expand the program by next spring.

Community-based policing is not new. In the 1970s, the department experimented with neighborhood watch programs and assigning officers to particular neighborhoods. This sort of program worked then, and can be made to work again.

The current controversies surrounding LAPD administrative shake-ups notwithstanding, police officials must never lose sight of the importance of keeping community-based policing a top priority.