The authors of this paper discuss their evaluation of the community-oriented policing strategy, called “front porch roll call,” which involves the use of public forums; they describe their research methodology and outcomes, as well as implications for future practice.
This paper describes a study that aimed to evaluate a promising community-oriented policing strategy called “front porch roll call” (FPRC), which involves conducting roll calls in public forums. The authors used a mixed methods approach by drawing on survey data, field observations, and qualitative interviews to describe how FPRCs were implemented in Saginaw, Michigan, from 2019 to 2022, and how they can be successfully implemented to operate in accordance with the theoretical foundations of community-oriented policing. Survey data from FPRC attendees reported improvements in their perceptions of police legitimacy, trust in the police and procedural fairness—each of which are vital pathways to developing collaborative crime prevention initiatives in community-oriented policing. Qualitative interviews and field observations provided unique insights into areas of improvement and ways to enhance sustainability for future use. Community-oriented policing offers a philosophical approach to addressing crime problems through the formation of localized, collaborative solutions that come from police-community partnerships, however the authors note that a key implementation challenge is that such programs can fail to align their initiatives with the theoretical principles of community policing. FPRCs offer an innovative solution that operates closely with the spirit of community-oriented policing. Data from a mixed-methods evaluation provide further insights into their challenges with implementation and ways to improve upon them. Publisher Abstract Provided