Dragon, Mark2015-01-222015-01-222014-12Dragon, M. (2014). Community policing: Bringing a practical ideal type model to justice. Masters of Public Administration, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.https://hdl.handle.net/10877/5390An Applied Research Project Submitted to the Department of Political Science, Texas State University, in Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Public Administration, Fall 2014.Police department administrators and emergency professionals must be willing to recognize, identify and administer an effective community policing program. The purpose of this applied research project is to develop an ideal model of community policing. A review of the literature identified three key components of an effective community policing program: community engagement, problem solving, and organizational transformation. The literature was also littered with numerous examples of crime prevention being an ultimate goal of law enforcement. This paper suggests that crime prevention is a necessary fourth component to a successful community policing practice, and not solely the goal. The San Marcos Police Department is used as a test case to refine the components of community policing that appear in various scholarly works. Methodology: The components of an effective community policing strategy identified in the literature are used to construct the conceptual framework. The framework is used to create a practical ideal model assessment tool for the community policing program. A case study consisting of survey questions as well as document analysis are utilized to collect results from the San Marcos Police Department. Findings: The San Marcos Police Department's community policing strategy is mostly consistent with the model assessment tool.Text70 pages1 file (.pdf)encommunity policingpractical idealcommunity engagementproblem solvingorganizational transformationcrime preventionSan Marcos Police Departmenteffective policingPublic AdministrationApplied Research Project