Which of the following is a performance measure used in community policing?

• A. Increased arrests
• B. Faster response time
• C. Citizen involvement and reduced fear of crime
• D. Reduced crime rate

Answer: (C)

Community policing emphasizes building partnerships and solving problems with residents. A key measure of its success is how engaged the community is and how safe people feel, rather than just how many crimes are solved. Measuring citizen involvement and reduced fear of crime directly reflects the impact on trust, legitimacy, and perceived safety in the neighborhood, which are central goals of this approach. Increased arrests focus on enforcement activity and can undermine trust if used as the primary metric. Faster response time tracks efficiency, but it doesn’t necessarily capture the quality of community relationships or residents’ sense of safety. Reduced crime rate is important, yet crime trends can be influenced by many factors beyond policing and may not fully represent the effectiveness of community-engagement efforts.