Nina Parks' Social Reflection Part 1: Community Policing

The term "Community Policing" almost sound oxymoronic when the two words are placed next to one another, but "community policing" is the term that has been thrown round a lot recently, especially in San Francisco's Ingleside District. The Ingleside Police department, which includes, Alameny, Bernal Heights, Sunnydale, Geneva, parts of Glen Park, San Jose ave. by City College and of course the wonderful Excelsior, has been chosen to implement a "community policing" program , so what does that mean?

So far all that I've seen since it's application in late summer, is that there has been more officers on foot, more harassment of youth coming to, from, or in the district as well as harder crack downs on issues like, whether or not you have a transfer or a bus pass on MUNI, j-walking and if your wheels are curbed at the correct angle. According to captain Lazar Inglesides' newest appointee, they are functioning off of the "Broken Window Theory"... which in a Nina Parks nut shell, means that they are fixxing superficial surface level "issues" but leaving root causes of social and economic issues that contribute to crimes unnaddressed. The idea behind this program is to build a partnership between the community and the police in order to create a safer more well informed "Community."

Sounds great in theory doesn't it? As you can see from the mini survey taken on twitter down bellow many individuals have different ideas and concerns in regards the philosophical practice of "community policing." But one thing is clear, that it's going to take a lot of effort on behalf of Ingleside community members and the PD if we want to be successful. The presence of the beat officers hasn't felt more reassuring, the fact the Ingleside has a high number of new recruits fresh out of the academy, which is both hopeful and a bit unnerving. Hopeful because they still have the ability to be introduced to a different model off preventing crime and unnerving because they are new police officers and just like teenagers have something to be proved.

So here this is Nina Parks take on this:

Change takes time and nothing will be solved over night, there is no quick fix and there is a lot of work that must be done as individuals, as a community and in conjunct with the PD to develope a comprhensive model of community policing.

Which from my understanding will soon be defined as... at least in the EXCELSIOR:

Indivual partnerships between community members, organizations, schools, parents, mechants, residence and police department, who actively take responsiblity for the state of the community both on the outside and in the collective body of conciousness as a group. It means that as a group of individuals we will exercise or consitutional rights and responsibly and look out for the well being of eachother as a means of addressing and elevating above the issues that have plauged the community through out history.

It seems that the idea that someone is accountable for their actions is part of the basis of or judicial system and contributes to the feeling of public safety. The need to feel safe is not an American ideal but is a Human Ideal.

The word community is dirived from the Latin word commuinis meaning common

But in further breakdown of the word community the prefix com-, means with,together

unity- direved from Latin unire - to join or unite

So, Community= com+unity= to join together as one.

To be contiued.......