Establishing a Research Partnership: the Forest Park (OH) Police Division and the University of Cincinnati

摘要

In January 1997, the Forest Park Police Division and the Center for Criminal Justice Research of the University of Cincinnati established a locally initiated research partnership with support from the National Institute of Justice. The partnership continued through June, 1998. In the first year of operation, the partnership experienced a 75% turnover in personnel. This report describes the development and operation of the partnership. Despite wholesale change in the command staff of the police division, the researchers completed the primary research task, a survey of community policing and crime prevention officers. The new command staff asked that a second task be completed; the drafting of a feasibility study of geographic crime analysis for the police division. This second task was also completed. The principal members of the partnership had a long tradition of cooperation in research efforts. The Police Division had conducted surveys in neighborhoods beginning in 1995. In 1996, University of Cincinnati Researchers studied the impact of door-todoor surveys on public attitudes towards the police. The results of these suveys (by both the Police Division and the University) have been incorporated into the strategic plan for the Police Division. This experience has created and supported the impetus for continued research in the police agency. In addition, the survey of crime prevention and community policing officers conducted as part of this project was used to guide the development of training offered through the Tri State Regional Community Policing Institute. Despite completing two research tasks which both partners felt were worthy of attention, the partnership did not result in any noticeable change in the general research capacity of the police division. An assessment of the evolution of this partnership indicates that a greater involvement of organizational change and links between organizations rather than individuals is necessary to insure a continuing impact of the research collaboration.