Citizens, Cops, and Power: Recognizing the Limits of Community [Hardcover]

Steve Herbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0226327302 | ISBN-13: 978-0226327303

Politicians, citizens, and police agencies have long embraced community policing, hoping to reduce crime and disorder by strengthening the ties between urban residents and the officers entrusted with their protection. 

That strategy seems to make sense, but in Citizens, Cops, and Power, Steve Herbert reveals the reasons why it rarely, if ever, works. Drawing on data he collected in diverse Seattle neighborhoods from interviews with residents, observation of police officers, and attendance at community-police meetings, Herbert identifies the many obstacles that make effective collaboration between city dwellers and the police so unlikely to succeed. At the same time, he shows that residents’ pragmatic ideas about the role of community differ dramatically from those held by social theorists.

Surprising and provocative, Citizens, Cops, and Power provides a critical perspective not only on the future of community policing, but on the nature of state-society relations as well.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An impressive critique of community policing . . . that raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the widely accepted practice.”—Seattle Post-Intelligencer

(Seattle Post-Intelligencer )

"'' It is a mistake to believe that community can bear the political weight that projects like community policing place upon it'' . . . . It is this thesis that makes the book both theoretically interesting and useful, particularly for those intrested in issues of community governance and locally based crime control initiatives. Overall, this book represents a fresh and radical departure."

(Laura Huey Theoretical Criminology )

"This is a fine book. It is accessible and very well written. . . . I appreciated the way Herbert again pried open the black box of the state, offering us a careful and not unsympathetic reading of police culture. Although written for a wider audience, geographers interested in law and policing, political theory, and the enduring romance of community will find it worthwhile."

(Nicholas Blomley Annals--Association for American Geographers )

"This book is well written and well organized. . . . The book''s conclusion provides sobering evidence for the limitations of the community policing approach."—Michelle Livermore, Social Development Issues

(Michelle Livermore Social Development Issues )

"Herbert''s book is a political sociological analysis of the potential of deliberative democratic action at the local level. . . . [It] will remain the standard for studies of community policing for years to come."—Sudhir Venkatesh, American Journal of Sociology

(Sudhir Venkatesh American Journal of Sociology )

About the Author

Steve Herbert is associate professor in the Department of Geography and the Law, Societies, and Justice Program at the University of Washington. He is the author of Policing Space: Territoriality and the Los Angeles Police Department.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (April 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226327302
• ISBN-13: 978-0226327303
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,961,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharp analysis, August 6, 2006

By 

Cliff "Cliff" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Citizens, Cops, and Power: Recognizing the Limits of Community (Hardcover)

Author offers an incisive analysis of issues in so-called community policing. Great read for anyone wondering how this concept works or doesn't work.