Reinventing or repackaging public services? The case of community-oriented policing

What are local law enforcement organizations adapting under the banner of community-oriented policing? Does implementation of community-oriented policing entail changes to the traditional structure of local law enforcement agencies! To what extent are implementation and structural changes being supported by changes in operational policies and administrative systems! The authors address these issues through a survey of local lalo enforcement agencies in Florida. They find that community-oriented policing manifests itself in a variety of forms, but they all seem to center on changing the officer rather than the organization. Even when structural change occurs, the impact on existing policies and systems is minimal. The authors question the long range prospects for this innovation.