Community & Problem-Oriented Policing (CPOP)

In the wake of the renewed conversation in America about policing, finding ways to bring metro Atlanta communities and law enforcement agencies together is essential. Focusing on Community & Problem-Oriented Policing (CPOP) concepts will be a crucial first step – one that will build trust, understanding, and a positive working relationship.

Community & Problem-Oriented Policing – and aspects of it – can go by many names: Community Policing (CP); Community-Oriented Policing (COP); Problem-Oriented Policing (POP); Intelligence-Led Policing (ILP); etc. It also includes law enforcement aspects of Procedural Justice. However, TCAPP has determined that the phrase “Community & Problem-Oriented Policing” is the best choice to ensure clarity that this approach includes both active engagement with communities and working toward proactively solving problems.

Though CPOP cannot solve all issues within a community, it increases community members’ willingness to communicate their needs to law enforcement and discuss potential causes of crime in their area. This partnership then allows law enforcement officers to address crime and its causes, thus making their work more effective and in tune with community needs. A CPOP approach also creates space for communities to address past and present barriers to working with law enforcement agencies, with the goal of enhancing their belief that local agencies are adequately serving the community and properly upholding law enforcement’s role in the Rule of Law system.

For more information on Community & Problem-Oriented Policing (CPOP), see the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)'s report, Community Policing Defined.