PUTTING THE COMMUNITY BACK INTO COMMUNITY POLICING: COMMUNITY BUILDING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

Abstract

Deadly encounters between police and Black individuals in America have left the police-community relationship strained and the country reeling. The purpose of this dissertation to gain a deeper understanding of how police administration, patrol officers, and community leaders identify community, their role in the community, and how they potentially engage in community building, community problem solving, and community policing. This dissertation combines public relations scholarship on community building with community policing scholarship. As part of a case study, 26 semi-structured interviews with police administration, patrol officers, and community leaders were conducted as part of a case study. Patrol officer interviews took place over the course of seven ride alongs, which provided added context and triangulation. This study addresses several research gaps in both public relations and community policing literature by conducting a qualitative case study that includes both community and police voices. Amid calls to defund and disband police in America, this dissertation argues that community policing has the potential to build community.