in and with the citizens who ‘bought-it,’ the concept actually became a reality and worked! Months later we had 
a string of burglaries occurring in a high-crime neighborhood. The detectives, patrol, everyone hit the streets, 
knocking on doors, questioning everyone, in an attempt to find the criminals responsible. With no avail, I turned 
to Community Policing. I brought in a mounted police officer and horse. My colleagues chucked and shook their 
heads in response! What was I thinking?!?! “It was a waste of resources,” they balked! How could a cop on a horse 
solve this crime? I was glad; I ‘wasted my time,’ because it worked! The officer on the horse brought citizens out 
of their houses that normally would never have spoken to a police officer normally. The horse was such a spectacle 
in the neighborhood, that it was the catalyst that caused citizens to not only come out of their houses but to start 
talking about what and who they had been seeing in and around their neighborhood that did not belong. One 
such sighting was a vehicle description, which led to criminals responsible for the burglaries. ” 
The Homeland Security Era- 2001 to Present: On September 11th, 2001, when terrorists hijacked 
airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center buildings and Pentagon in the United States, a fourth 
era of policing, the era of Homeland Security, was said to emerge. 
5 The long-lasting repercussions of this 
terrorist act would forever change life for Americans, but the daily activities of all policing departments. 
There is some debate in the field as to the order of policing eras and what they should be called. Some 
scholars list the policing eras as: 
1. 
Pre-Policing Era 
2. 
Political Era 
3. 
Reform Era 
4. 
Community Era 
While others believe the policing eras are: 
1. 
Political Era 
2. 
Reform Era 
3. 
Community Era 
4. 
Homeland Security Era 
The realities of the tragedy of 9/11 were that it did start a new era of policing. In fact, a case could 
be made for the large dark line that became metaphorically visible on 9/11/01, when the Community 
5. Oliver, W. M. (2006). The fourth era of policing: Homeland security. International Review of Law, Computers & Technology. 
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