Policing has come a long way from the watchman and legalistic styles of policing.

Today’s policing practices have shifted toward the service style of policing. What does that mean in terms of policing practices? The service style of policing focuses on serving the community and its members. We have heard the phrase “community policing” many times in the recent past. It has been thrown around like popcorn, with millions of dollars in funding dedicated to community policing efforts in cities around the United States, often with minimal effects on improving community-police relationships. This is likely due to the way different initiatives have been rolled out, and part of the issue is that the voice of the most impacted communities has not been front and center.

Too many police departments are currently operating with low staffing levels in the field and morale that is even lower.