Why "Community Policing" needs less community.

The idea of Community Policing, as I was led to understand it, had a great intention.  If the officers that worked in an area actually lived in the same area, and did business in the same area, it would be a benefit for both the community and the officer.  The officer would...  Well, it would be good for him to...  I mean... At least his taxes will help pay his salary.  That benefits him, right?

At least the community would see a benefit.  Who else can you go to on a Saturday morning and ask, "Hey, I got this ticket, what can I do to beat it?"  Where else can you go for neighborhood disputes, knocking on a stranger's door at what amounts to their 4 a.m., demanding that they do something about a kid's Frisbee landing close to 'My brand new car, and he better hope he doesn't scratch it, or there will be hell to pay."  Who else can answer your legal questions at the neighborhood barbecue?

Some people wonder why I want to live as far away from my work area as I can, but still be convenient and not have to spend my whole paycheck on gas.  Some people ask me why I haven't fully embraced the concept of "Community Policing".

I tried.  I really did.  A few years ago, I moved MUCH closer than I was actually comfortable with to my work area.  I started doing business in the general area, and some other business in my actual jurisdiction. 

Now, we all know that no matter how hard you try, you are NEVER going to be able to fully avoid stopping in the shops in your area, nor, really, should you.  You should be a face that the public sees, someone that represents your agency with the pride and professionalism that the public that you serve deserves.  I don't mean that you should spend two hours drinking coffee standing at the corner with your beat buddies, but if you stop for a cup of coffee to go, who cares?  (Remember, though, Joe the Rag Man, even in these 'tough economic times' has to pay for his coffee, so pay for yours, m'kay?)

But, sure enough, sooner or later, those people, the 'community' that I was supposed to become a part of, made me regret my choice to move into the area.  First, it was the, "Hey, we're friends, so if you see me speeding by, remember to just wave" BS that frankly, I try to ignore.  However, they weren't so happy when they did go tooling by at a speed much greater than was posted, and I not only stopped them, but I actually WROTE THEM A TICKET!!!  How DARE I?  Weren't we friends? 

Then, on a Sunday night, I made an arrest.  Not only did the suspect make it home before I did, but the next morning, (okay, afternoon), when I finally woke up and checked my mail, who did I see hanging out at the house RIGHT next to mine? 

The final straw was when I not only led a narcotics investigation on the guy that lived right upstairs from me, but I then did another, on-view, narcotics arrest on the same guy a few months later.  He thought that because he lived so close to me, that I was 'cool' with it.  Um, no, and you, my idiot 'friend', are under arrest.  There are so many more examples, but I'm sure I'm not alone in this, so story time ends here.

So I moved.  Not so far away that I can't respond within a half hour, if needed, but far enough away that I wouldn't be bothered by running into the people that I arrested, ALL THE TIME.  Or so I thought, until the narcotics task force that I'm a part of executed a drug search and arrest warrant on the house, two doors down from mine.  Sigh...