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Elements Underlying Community Policing: Validation of the Construct

The four dimensions of community policing identified in 1997 by Cordner were used to explore the factor structure of the construct. A police department’s definition of community policing was interpreted using Cordner’s dimensions, and for each dimension items that represented underlying policing elements were generated. The content validity of the items associated with Cordner’s philosophical, strategic, tactical, and organizational dimensions was assessed using subject matter experts (SMEs). Confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were conducted to assess the construct factorial validity of the factor structure. A confirmatory model of the four dimensions identified by Cordner was not supported. The EFA, however, identified a six‐factor model that indicated an adequate fit to the data. The six factors were labeled as philosophical, strategic, tactical, organizational, psycho‐social, and information. The findings confirmed Cordner’s original dimensions, and introduced psycho‐social and information as two new ones. The study explored the policy implications for management programs of interpreting the dimensions in the context of a department’s own community policing practices. Limitations of the study and future directions were discussed.