Institutional logics of community policing: an analytical framework and research agenda for the Brazilian context

Abstract

Community policing models have been disseminated in different countries in response to high levels of crime and violence. Despite the broad defense of such models, their effectiveness and concept are still unclear. The phenomenon of community policing is hybrid and multifaceted, with several contradictions between what is idealized and what happens in practice, making it difficult to understand. In this essay, we propose a metatheoretical analytical scheme based on the idea that community policing is based on four pure types of institutional logics – military, professional, managerial, and community – and the intersection of these logics helps to understand the phenomenon. We used this scheme to frame the studies on community policing considering societal and cultural, environmental, organizational, and practical and identity elements, seeking to outline a research agenda.