Community policing and the organizational structure of campus law enforcement agencies

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which community policing within campus law enforcement agencies is influenced by the organizational structure, agency characteristics and campus characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilizes ordinary least squares regression modeling to examine community policing implementation. Data were drawn from a sample of 242 US colleges and universities included in the 2011–2012 Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies (SCLEA).

Findings

Findings show that within-campus law enforcement agencies, greater levels of community policing are associated with more formalization, larger numbers of employees, a higher task scope and higher rates of on-campus property crime.

Research limitations/implications

Use of secondary data and reported crime rate limits the study. Future research should implement specialized surveys and qualitative methods to identify the specific needs and implementations of community policing.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the limited body of literature on the community policing in campus law enforcement through more recent data and the inclusion of campus community variables.

Citation

Basham, S.L. (2022), "Community policing and the organizational structure of campus law enforcement agencies", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 45 No. 2, pp. 186-199. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-07-2021-0096