As modern police leaders search for more effective policing strategies, it becomes increasingly clear that looking at history, while beneficial, is difficult. Police agencies of the past kept very few records, and the records kept were very incomplete. One thing, however, that is evident, is that traditional policing places great importance on the number of arrests made and how quickly officers respond to calls from citizens. Furthermore, this particular strategy did not include cooperation between the police and citizens. Richard Adams described it best when he said, “traditional policing tends to emphasize the role of police officers in crime control and views the role of citizens in catching criminals as minor players at best and as part of the problem in the worst case scenario." (Overview) Today's police officers are better trained and better equipped. Are there still some of the same problems that were faced in the past? Of course they do! Is it possible to solve these problems? Of course they can. We may not be able to completely eliminate the problems, but we can continue to improve things so that the problems don't seem so huge. Improvements are made every day; improvements that make policing easier and more efficient. When communities and police officers work together, our cities become better, safer places