of unrest and eye-opening policing issues. Civil rights movements spread across America and the police 
were on the front lines. Media coverage showed controversial contacts between white male officers and 
African American citizens, which further irritated race relations in policing. The U.S. Supreme Court 
handed down the landmark Miranda v. Arizona and Mapp v. Ohio decisions. The writing was on the wall 
that the policing environment had to change. The days of answering everything with bullying or police 
professionalism were no more. The Community Era of policing began and those in police administration 
hoped this new era held the answers to fixing decades-old issues. The police needed help and they would 
turn towards the community and its citizens for assistance. 
This new era of community policing held that police couldn’t act alone; the community must pitch in 
as well. Whether the problems were a dispute between neighbors or high crime area drugs and shootings, 
these issues did not develop overnight and could not be solved by a response of police alone. Instead, 
these community problems needed a pronged approach where the police worked together with the 
community and over time the issues could be systematically solved. Out of the box thinking was common 
in community policing and often community leaders were identified in order to make the impact. During 
this time police candidates started showing up to the application process with Associates and Bachelors 
degrees. The ‘old school officers’ mocked these degree-holding candidates. But the landscape was changing 
and officers needed more thorough training than ever to answer the call. 
Problem-oriented policing was an after effect of community policing, in that it utilized community 
policing, but focused on the problems first. The biggest difference was problem-oriented policing used a 
defined process for working towards the solution. The problem was torn apart layer by layer and rebuilt 
according to set parameters that have a proven record of working. 
The Community Era was also a time for research. Prior to this era, research on crime, police, or criminal 
justice topics were few and far between. With new federal government funding options available, this era 
missions could be accomplished through grants and the needed research began. Proof of what worked, 
what didn’t, and suggestions on how to improve policing were abundant. Without research or studies, 
policing can become stagnant. But with funding available, the answers were a questionnaire or interview 
away and solutions came rolling in. 
Community Era Example 
“I remember the Community Era very well. I was a new police officer during this time and actually at the 
forefront of Community Policing and Problem-Oriented Policing. I was the first woman officer at my police 
department that was pregnant and the administration was open to suggestions when asked what to do with me 
when my belly expanded. I politely suggested that once I was five to six months pregnant and began to show (and 
not fit in my uniform or patrol belt anymore), I will be voluntarily transferred to the Crime Prevention Division. 
With my doctor approving this decision, my belly grew, and I transferred to this new division. I remember hitting 
the streets and knocking on doors, spewing how great of a panacea Community Policing was. It took some buy-
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