Collaborations Between Police and Research/Academic Organizations: Some Prescriptions From the Field (From New Criminal Justice: American Communities and the Changing World of Crime Control, P 121-127, 2010, John Klofas, Natalie Kroovand Hipple, and Edmund McGarrell, eds. - See NCJ-230360)

• NCJ Number: 230372
• Author(s): Jack R. Greene
• Date Published: 2010
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: Routledge
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter analyzes action research as it is applied to the study of police policies, programs, and practices, as well as a range of considerations that facilitate and/or inhibit such research.

Abstract

Action research involves gaining a better understanding of the impact of a police agency's policies, procedures, and actions on the community at large based on concepts and methods that have validity and scientific rigor. Major sections of the chapter address obstacles to conducting action research in police agencies, the characteristics of action research in police agencies, building effective research collaborations, stages in relationship building, and evaluating relationships. Obstacles to conducing action research in police agencies include police defensiveness toward any assessments of their work from other disciplines; police reliance on experience rather than data collection and analysis; lack of resources for scientifically rigorous analysis of problems and outcomes; and the failure of social science to prove its value for policing by providing relevant and practical research products. The chapter advises that research which involves police agencies must be a core part of the agency's operations rather than being marginally aligned with an agency, as is currently the case. Also, a collaborative environment must be established within which police policymakers, decisionmakers, and researchers can interact with mutual respect, trust, and knowledge of and appreciation for one another's expertise. Generally, effective collaborations stem from common or overlapping interests; trust through ongoing and sustained relationships; appreciation of the analytical and policy issues to be addressed; timeliness in approach and execution; and transparency in the process and in reviewing the findings. The chapter concludes with discussions of the stages in relationship building and the rationale and importance of an ongoing assessment of the collaborative relationship as a necessary condition for its stability.