There was a good piece over at KQED that looked at Oakland, California's unsolved homicides. The story listed the main reason Oakland PD's clearance rate for murder was so low was the lack of trust the community had with those who police them.
"Most violent crimes are solved when citizens come forward and tell the police what they know," Krisberg says. "And that’s why the relationship between the police and the community is so critical. The community has to trust the police; they have to feel like they and the police are on the same side."
I am a strong believer in community policing. We can never lose sight of the fact that we work for the citizens we serve. Working to build community trust continually will pay dividends when you turn to the community for help in solving a crime or in dealing with a crime problem.
