Collaboration is fundamental to effective law enforcement in the 21st century, but community-police collaboration is not a new concept. As long ago as 1829, Sir Robert Peel, who created the first professional police force in London, England, viewed collaboration as critical to policing and included it among his nine principles of law enforcement.

Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police…