By Morgan Garrett, Meredith College
A interesting recent study published in The Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice examined the challenges of developing researcher-practitioner collaborations within small-to-medium sized police departments. In “Building Bridges Between Researchers and Police Practitioners in Small and Midsize Law Enforcement Agencies in the United States,” Iwama et al. (2021) identify the unique challenges police departments face in creating working relationships with researchers. Some of these challenges include studies in larger cities not applying to smaller and midsize cities, not having the same level of attention as larger cities, and lack of resources and funding.
The most important challenge researchers face is gaining the trust of the departments; finding community leaders they want to work with; and creating partnerships. Consistent communication and transparency amongst all partners are key to a successful working relationship. By including law enforcement officers and community members in the research and having their opinions heard, they feel that they are part of the research to enact change instead of being researched. Another key aspect of this partnership is having a local champion who is not only a part of the community, but also has ties to law enforcement. The local champion will understand both the law enforcement and community side of the partnership because they have experience and the trust of both sides which will aid in bridging the gap between partners.
This current study, which drew from survey research, found that the “critical integrated pedagogy” is the best model to form and maintain a working researcher and police practitioner relationship. This model encourages understanding each partners’ perspective, sharing knowledge, and increasing exposure of the partners to each other. Researchers recommend that increased resources be invested in supporting research partnerships in small-to-medium sized police departments.