Community-oriented policing (COP) is a policing strategy that focuses on developing relationships with community members and is a philosophy of full-service policing that is related to problem-oriented policing and intelligence-led policing. It emphasizes the alignment of organizational management, structure, personnel, and information systems to support community partnerships and proactive problem-solving. The key components of community policing are:

• Developing community partnerships: Community policing relies on collaborative partnerships between the law enforcement agency and the individuals and organizations they serve to develop solutions to problems and increase trust in police.

• Engaging in problem-solving: COP is a broad policing strategy that relies heavily on community involvement and partnerships, and on police presence in the community, to address local crime and social disorder.

• Implementing community policing strategies: Common methods of community policing include encouraging the community to help prevent crime by providing advice, talking to students, and encouraging neighborhood watch groups, increased use of foot or bicycle patrols, increased officer accountability to the communities they serve, and creating teams of officers to carry out community policing in designated neighborhoods.

Community policing is related to problem-oriented policing and intelligence-led policing, and contrasted with reactive policing strategies which were predominant in the late 20th century. It is a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime. Community policing emphasizes changes in organizational structures to institutionalize its adoption and infuse it throughout the entire department, including the way it is managed and organized, its personnel, and its technology.