In the future, the steps needed to build public trust in policing will be collaboratively focused and will represent a distinctive organizational philosophy for many departments.

In some respects, this model is already being tested as departments seek to engage community groups through community partnerships and educational awareness programs. These projects involve business and residential associations, local schools, and the corporate funding of police foundations. However, it is becoming more and more apparent that the central focus of police work is the protection of children, individuals with substance use issues, victims of crime (especially victims of domestic violence), the elderly, people with mental illnesses, extremist targets, and displaced persons—often classified as society’s most vulnerable groups. In a recent report by the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues “vulnerability” is “understood to stem from a person’s inability fully and independently to protect their own interests.” It is the premise of this brief article that the protection of vulnerable populations will or should be the basis for police planning in the future. In addition, the police of the future will be more actively engaged in the coproduction of security by utilizing partnership approaches and multiagency crime prevention programs.