Developing and Sustaining Police–researcher Partnerships

Abstract

Abstract Developing and sustaining partnerships between the police and researchers has long been a challenge. There have been national federal grant programmes aimed at developing these partnerships and they have been helpful. In most cases, the partnerships lapsed when the funds are expended. Nevertheless, progress has been made over the years and there are examples of police–researcher partnerships but relatively few are sustained long-term relationships. These partnerships have become increasingly important as community advocates make demands for police reforms; many of which are not evidence based. This article identifies and discusses some of the challenges the police face and various reform proposals. It also identifies several long-term successful partnerships and includes a more detailed description of two of them—University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Police and Arizona State University/Phoenix Police. The article discusses the author’s experience with police–researcher partnerships as a police chief and researcher over his 53-year career in policing. Finally, the article encourages police and researchers to think more deeply about three areas: funding, community engagement, and communications strategy. Funding is fundamental to sustaining the partnerships and supporting them without a total reliance on external resources is crucial. Transparency has become an essential part of establishing public trust and researchers must begin engaging the community in the process. Finally, a communications strategy as a part of the study would enhance the understanding of findings and reinforce the value of investing in research.</jats:p