A Comparative Perspective of Community Policing in Taiwan and Washington State

Abstract

This study explores the attitudes and behaviors of Taiwanese police officers regarding community oriented policing (COP) by comparing their attitudes and behaviors with those of officers in Washington State. Data used in the study were collected from 375 Taiwanese line officers assigned to the city of Tainan and 167 American line officers from various police and sheriffs' departments in Washington State. The study finds that (1) Taiwanese and American officers hold similar opinions of COP's potential to reduce crime;(2) both groups are similarly involved in implementing the various strategies of COP; yet (3) American officers are more involved in formulating (planning/devising) COP strategies; and (4) are more receptive to citizen involvement in COP; while (5) Taiwanese officers are more receptive to civilian oversight, and (6) are more amenable to applying COP outcomes for evaluative purposes than are their American counterparts. Policy implications and areas for future research are discussed.

An Evaluation of a Community-Oriented Policing Program in Taiwan

“…Some scholars have argued that the Taiwanese police were employing COP-like practices of various sorts long prior to the concept of COP being introduced into the country by Western nations (Cao, Huang, & Sun, 2014; Gingerich & Chu, 2006). Some of these practices can be traced back to 1914 during the period of Japanese rule (Yeh, 1999).…”

Public Perceptions of Police Performance in Taiwan: A Historical Review (1945–2009)

“…By the 1980s, in response to public demands for better government (Hsiao, 1990) and concern about rising crime rates (Cheurprakobkit, Denq, & Lee, 2001; Lee, Cheurprakobkit, & Denq, 1999; Mon, 2003) including organized crime (Chin, 2003), senior officials of the NPA accelerated the process of modernization (Yen, 1987). By the 1990s, they were moving the NPA toward a community policing model of service (Cao & Dai, 2006; Chang, 1995; Chang & Wang, 2006; Gingerich & Chu, 2006a, 2006b; Lee et al., 1999). Importantly, the NPA also became very transparent, communicating their accomplishments, long‐term plans, policies, procedures, and related information to the public in both print and electronic reports (see, e.g., Ministry of the Interior, National Police Administration, 2005).…”

“…The transition in service philosophy coincided with a campaign of modernization that accelerated throughout the 1980s and 1990s. One might say the new paradigm matured with the NPA's adoption of a community policing service philosophy by the turn of the century (Chang, 1995; Chang & Wang, 2006; Gingerich & Chu, 2006a, 2006b; McBeath, 1979; Tao, 1971; Tarng, Hsieh, & Deng, 2001; Yen, 1987).…”