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Community-Oriented Policing Community-Oriented Policing has become a prominent element within the homeland security arena, as law enforcement have narrowed their efforts on working closely with its local communities. Though there have been doubts on whether COP would be a continuing initiative with unjustified killings, policy brutality, and the use of excessive force that has increase post-9/11, there has been newfound hope that this strategy is the key to safeguarding communities at large. For example, the proven success rate of COP was highlighted at the Texas Regional Community Policing Institute where the agency sponsored training established by the Wichita State Regional Community Policing Institute on the criticality of how policing plays a huge role in safeguarding communities. The training was predicated on improving situational awareness on what happens within communities and the importance for vigilance. The program also focused on the need for community members and local businesses to work closely with law enforcement to mitigate criminal activity and potential terroristic acts. However, there is still the negative stigma in some communities where law enforcement is not welcomed or trusted. Robert D. Putnam, author of Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, is evident that there are still some internal conflict between communities and law enforcement.

According to Sam Houston State University, Putnam’s book is based on a “specific observation that captures the essence of our loss of connectedness … observed that roughly the same percentage of Americans go bowling now as did in the 1950s … the difference is that the activity is far less likely to occur in the context of teams or leagues; contemporary Americans are much more likely to go bowling alone” (The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies in Homeland Security: Revisiting Community-Oriented Policy, n.d., pp. 1–2). Nearly 20 years since foreign adversaries committed the largest terrorist attack on U.S. soil in American history and the federal government has sifted through challenges and limiting factors to coordinate vital partnerships between law enforcement and homeland security agencies to protect and defend the United States. It is still in work progress and requires discipline between agencies to ensure the ability to share information to improve preparedness and mitigate terrorism. To have the ability, coordinating agencies must remain consistent and reliable with their efforts by enforcing accountability through system performance methods. Leading authorities must assess such standards through constant enforcement of implemented policies to examine the effectiveness of information sharing processes.

Per DHS (2019), protecting homeland security starts with the hometown (i.e. hometown security) and everyone plays a role from households, parents, children, to the nation's highest officials. There are many initiatives between local communities and the public-private sector to get involved and help protect homeland security. Please see below:

- The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

- Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Impact Assessments

- The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman

- Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

- Office of Academic Engagement

- DHS Tribal Consultation Policy

- Counter Violent Extremism

- U.S. Customs and Border Protection

- Office for Intelligence & Analysis

- DHS Office of Office of Health Affairs

- DHS Private Sector Office (Department of Homeland Security, 2019, paras. 1-14).

Not one action is too small.