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3 Police Q. 4 (2000)

handle is hein.journals/policqurt3 and id is 1 raw text is: PATTERNS OF COMMUNITY POLICING IN THE UNITED STATES EDWARD R. MAGUIRE STEPHEN D. MASTROFSKI George Mason University This study explores the dimensionality of the community policing movement using four national data sets collected between 1993 and 1997. Researchers and reformers have established numerous definitions of community policing. Many of these definitions propose conflicting hypotheses about its underly- ing dimensionality. In the absence of a coherent body of theory to guide a more confirmatory approach, the authors use recently developed exploratory factor analysis techniques to estimate the dimensionality ofcommunity polic- ing in four large and diverse samples of agencies from around the United States. The authors'findings show that the number ofdimensions underlying the community policing movement varies significantly according to the source ofthe data. The authors discuss thefindings in the context oforganiza- tion theory, providing an agenda for future theory testing. In addition, based on some of the problems encountered in this study, the authors offer a number of concrete suggestions for improving macro-level research on community policing. Community policing has become a household phrase. Police agencies around the nation report that they are turning toward community policing as a mechanism for solving local problems, reducing crime and fear of crime, and forging better relations with citizens (Maguire, 1998; Maguire, Kuhns, Uchida, & Cox, 1997; Trojanowicz, 1994; Wycoff, 1994; Zhao, 1996; Zhao, Lovrich, & Thurman, 1999; Zhao & Thurman, 1997; Zhao, Thurman, & Lovrich, 1995). Even agencies generally claiming not to practice com- This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 97-CK-WX-K002, issued by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official positions orpolicies of the U.S. Depart- ment of Justice. We are grateful to Kimberly Hassell and Johnette Peyton for their research assistance. POLICE QUARTERLY Vol. 3 No. 1, March 2000 4-45 @ 2000 Sage Publications, Inc.

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