Police Consolidation and Shared Services

We surveyed residents in four communities with alternative models of policing: a merged department, two agencies that contracts for services, and a regional agency. We asked residents about their confidence in the police. We found that the type of police model was an important predictor of police confidence, controlling for other traditional measures of attitudes toward the police. Read More

Our research explores how public safety departments may vary by both command consolidation and cross-training of personnel.  To develop a scale for consolidation, we surveyed all known U.S. public safety departments, asking each about their services, administrative structure, and training requirements. Read More

The purpose of this paper is to assess officer perceptions of consolidation of law enforcement agencies under three specific models: contracting, merger and a hybrid of regionalization and contracting. A survey was administered to 139 officers employed by four agencies using one of the models of interest. Officers generally support consolidation, but views vary by agency type. Officers in the contracting agencies, for example, generally viewed consolidation as less cost effective than officers in other agencies viewed it, but were more…

The current study surveys 139 officers employed by four agencies that have recently undergone a consolidation of police services.While officers generally support consolidation, views on the effects of shared services vary significantly by level of support. Officers who most strongly support consolidation are also most likely to view it as leading to improvements in some working conditions (e.g. job satisfaction, morale), elements of organizational capacity (e.g. professionalism, investigative/intelligence capacity, recruitment), and the delivery of services (e.g. cost-effectiveness, quality and efficiency…

To develop practical resources for policymakers and practitioners, we used a multi-method approach to examine the implementation and effectiveness of three models of police consolidation: merger of agencies, regionalization under which two or more agencies join to provide services in a broader area, and contracting by municipalities with other organizations for police services. Specifically, we conducted field visits, surveys of residents and police officers, and analysis of crime data in four communities that had consolidated their police services. Read More

More than 100 municipalities across the United States have consolidated their police, fire, and emergency medical services into a single, consolidated agency. As initial reasons to consolidate change or diminish, some agencies have deconsolidated, but many remained consolidated. In this work, we use perspectives of contingency theory and institutional theory of organizations to explore why agencies may remain consolidated. Data and insights are drawn from two expert panels and a series of seven case studies. We found contingency theory helps explain why…

The issues that communities and agencies face when considering whether to adopt an alternative model of police service vary by type of consolidation, level of structural change, local preferences and circumstances, and a wide-array of other variables. Drawing from the literature, a focus group of practitioners, and case studies of four communities that consolidated services in different ways, this research examines the transition process, challenges, and successes of implementing alternative service delivery models. It concludes with a set of themes…

Most communities in the United States provide fire and police services through separate departments, but some operate a single consolidated one for police, fire, and, frequently, emergency medical services. The number of such public safety departments has grown in recent years, but little systematic research has been done on them. This article presents results of a census and subsequent survey of public safety departments in the United States to examine their prevalence, form, and function Read More