The phrase "community policing" has been thrown around a lot lately. It's been a buzz word here in Baltimore.
The concept is being offered nation-wide as a way to rebuild trust between officers and the people they're trying to protect.
Simply, community policing means making police part of the neighborhoods where they work as opposed to people who only show up when something goes wrong.
Dallas has been a role model for the program, which is one reason last week's ambush was so surprising. Dallas police chief David Brown emphasized community policing when he took over in 2010. Reports show excessive force complaints against the department dropped 64 percent in five years. Arrests are down and so is crime.
In Baltimore, commissioner Kevin Davis started pushing community policing when he took office last year. A big part of that is teaching officers to walk an old-fashioned beat.
In addition to learning to walk a beat, Davis ordered cultural sensitivity training for all police officers. He's had experts educate cops on the history of the city and its members.
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