Policy and Program Overview
Criminal justice plays a leading role in ensuring the population’s safety and well-being. Its responsibility includes performing many functions, including the development of specialized programs that help reduce crime. In Killeen, Texas, one such program becomes the Killeen Police Volunteer Program.
The main advantage of this initiative is the involvement of community members who can contribute to strengthening criminal justice and security in the state. The policy that attracts special attention within the framework of this program is Citizens on Patrol. Providing individuals with the opportunity to participate directly contributes to increased engagement and awareness of the responsibility of these forces.
The policy implemented in Killeen, Texas, called Citizens on Patrol, will be analyzed as part of this work. As already mentioned, it is part of the Killeen Police Volunteer Program, the main goal of which is to increase the degree of involvement of state residents in the criminal justice field. Following this trend can bring particularly valuable results in combating crime in the region.
The official website of the policy notes, “The desired effect is to increase the cooperation between volunteer citizens and the police officers, which will lead to more criminal activity being reported as it is occurring, and the quicker appreciation of the offender” (“Crime prevention,” n.d., para. 13). The main requirement for those who want to participate is the completion of training at the Citizen Police Academy. Thus, the main link between the program and public policy is the expansion of interaction and the increase in the level of knowledge of individuals regarding enforcement activities to prevent crime in the region. Moreover, this will directly affect the improvement of the community’s quality of life.
Several contributions to the program are of particular value. The first is to increase community engagement by providing people with the opportunity to take an active part in catching criminals and observing the area. This policy helps to create positive changes in community involvement and responsibility. In addition, the contribution is provided through a reduction in the crime rate due to increased work in criminal justice by volunteer patrols and observation efforts.
Public policy decisions related to the program provide the main advantage for the community is improving the relationship between community members and law enforcement. In other words, the program encourages the formation of strong and trusting relationships between police and individuals, which will contribute to improving life in Killeen, Texas. Another pro is, as already mentioned, reducing the number of crimes and improving such an aspect as community engagement. However, there is a negative part that is worth paying attention to. According to Con, there is insufficient participation on the part of the region’s residents because the program is of a volunteer nature and is not forced.
Annotated Bibliography
Leheza, Y., Dorokhina, Y., Shamara, O., Miroshnychenko, S., & Moroz, V. (2023). Political and legal aspects of citizens ‘participation in the fight against criminal offenses. CuestionesPolĂticas, 39(69), 212-224. Web.
This article thoroughly explores the benefits of involving the public in criminal justice. It is stated, “The main advantages are reduction of crime and delinquency; improving security in relevant areas of cities; reducing citizens’ fear of crime; strengthening the service function of police bodies about residents of territorial communities; improving police partnerships with the public” (Leheza et al., 2023, p. 222). Thus, this source has value as it can be used to justify the effectiveness of such an initiative as patrolling by community volunteers to reduce crime rates.
Blair, G., Weinstein, J. M., Christia, F., Arias, E., Badran, E., Blair, R. A., Cheema, A., Farooqui, A., Fetzer, T., Grossman, G., Haim, D., Hameed, Z., Hanson, R., Hasanain, A., Kronick, D., Morse, B. S., Muggah, R., Nadeem, F., Tsai, L. L…. & Wilke, A. M. (2021). Community policing does not build citizen trust in police or reduce crime in the Global South. Science, 374(6571). Web.
The framework of this article provides a point of view that despite attempts to reduce crime, law enforcement still can be perpetrators of unjust harm against citizens. This research showed that “community policing does not, at least immediately and on its own, lead to major improvements in citizen-police relations or reductions in crime” (Blair et al., 2021, p. 1). Thus, this source has value as support for the counterargument that attracting communities to criminal initiatives will not have the expected productivity without the necessary structural reforms to the police.
Pridmore, J., Mols, A., Wang, Y., & Holleman, F. (2019). Keeping an eye on the neighbors: Police, citizens, and communication within mobile neighborhood crime prevention groups. The Police Journal, 92(2), 97-120. Web.
Within the framework of this article, the analysis of the involvement of residents of the regions as crime prevention groups in police activities has value. The main consequence that is worth paying attention to is increased feelings of anxiety and interpersonal surveillance. In addition, the authors note a change in the relations between society members and law enforcement, which is manifested in the linguistic aspect. Therefore, this source can be used to analyze changes in the interaction of individuals and the police within the framework of crime prevention initiatives.
Policy and Program Analysis
Criminal justice theories may be involved to obtain a more complete analysis and understanding of the initiative under study. This process will provide an opportunity to apply different perspectives to the policy under consideration, emphasizing its benefits and effectiveness. One of the theories that informed the Killeen Citizens on Patrol initiative became community policing theory. This approach is based on the need to establish interaction between residents of a particular area and law enforcement (Kappeler et al., 2020). It should be aimed at solving the most pressing problems in the criminal justice field to ensure the community’s safety and high quality of life. Thus, from the perspective of community policing theory, the policy in question in Killeen, Texas, has positive prospects for success.
Social control theory within the framework of criminal justice theory also has value when considering Killeen Citizens on Patrol policy. This aspect is because this theoretical approach focuses on the fact that a certain bias towards deviant behavior is characteristic of a person. However, to limit this predisposition, it is necessary to build social bonds and social controls that will positively influence people. Therefore, this theoretical approach informs the program in question by providing a justification for the positive effect of involving the community in criminal justice activities. In other words, it promotes the dissemination of knowledge about this field and the responsibility of the employees in this field.
According to the information provided on the official website, the program has quite positive results. This is also because it is constantly expanding and introducing initiatives such as the Citizens’ Police Academy and Neighborhood Watch (“Crime prevention,” n.d.). Another program that is actively used in the state of Texas is the Texas Citizens on Patrol Association. Its main goal is “mission is to provide the type of ongoing training for police volunteers to assist them in the performance of non-law enforcement functions so that police officers can be available to answer higher priority calls” (“Why TCOPA?” n.d., para. 5). It, like Citizens on Patrol, focuses on engaging the community to improve crime prevention and awareness.
At the federal level, a large number of similar programs are being implemented in many states of America. The effectiveness of each of them directly depends on the level of crime that is shown in a particular area. Moreover, the value is an indicator of the involvement of the community in this kind of initiative. For example, citizens on patrol in Florida had a 75% reduction in crime after attracting residents to the problem of criminal justice. In addition, it is noted that “volunteers put in 32,042.75 hours at a savings to their county of $601,442.00” (Greco, n.d., p. 4). These statistics show the success of the program in attracting residents to reduce crime.
Recommendations for Public Policy
Based on the highlighted information, several recommendations can be made that can be applied to improve justice and the effectiveness of the program. One of them is the introduction of continuous monitoring and evaluation of policy implementation and the results it receives. This aspect implies the introduction of measures to collect information from both community members participating and police enforcement.
A study of reports that will show the degree of decrease or increase in the number of crimes, depending on the level of crime, can also have valuable information. Another recommendation to increase efficiency is the inclusion of measures that will attract more volunteers from different areas of the community. This aspect will help to limit the problem of uneven participation and encourage the reduction of criminal justice problems in the region. Therefore, it is possible to study the local population’s demographics and develop promotion initiatives to increase interest.
References
Crime prevention. (n.d.). Killeen Texas. Web.
Greco, A. (n.d.). Citizens on patrol: The eyes and ears for law enforcement in Hillsborough County. Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Web.
Kappeler, V. E., Gaines, L. K., & Schaefer, B. P. (2020). Community policing: A contemporary perspective.Routledge.
Why TCOPA? (n.d.). Texas citizens on patrol association. Web.