What are the three stages of community policing as described?

• A. Strategic, neighborhood oriented, problem oriented
• B. Patrolling, arresting, prosecuting
• C. Random patrols, community meetings, issue advocacy
• D. Prevention, enforcement, rehabilitation

Answer: (A)

Community policing moves beyond traditional patrols by organizing its approach into three interconnected stages. The first stage is strategic, where leaders set the long-term direction, align resources, and shift emphasis from merely responding to incidents to guiding the department with clear goals and data-driven priorities. The second stage is neighborhood oriented, which focuses on building genuine partnerships with residents, businesses, and community organizations to identify local concerns and co-create solutions. The third stage is problem oriented, applying a structured problem-solving process to uncover root causes, analyze information, implement targeted interventions, and assess outcomes to ensure lasting improvement. This combination captures how departments plan, engage communities, and address specific issues in a proactive way. The other options describe elements of policing but don’t reflect the three-stage framework that integrates strategy, community partnerships, and targeted problem-solving.