Police Consolidation and Shared Services

Transitioning to Alternative Models of Policing Service: Focus Groups and Case Studies Provide Insights. Public Management, Vol. 97 (8): 16-18, 2015.

The Great Recession and its aftermath had a huge impact on local policing, with agencies furloughing, laying off, or defunding positions. Given the fact that public-safety costs consume significant portions of the general-fund budget for local governments, agencies have sought ways to consolidate, merge, or share police services. Read More  

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Pathways to Consolidation: Taking Stock of Transitions to Alternate Models of Police Service. US Dept Of Justice, Office Of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), 2015.

Although consolidating and sharing public safety services has received much attention in recent years, such efforts are not new. Moreover, despite the many communities that have in one way or another consolidated or shared these services, the process of doing so has not become any easier. Read More

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Deconsolidation of Public-Safety Agencies Providing Police and Fire Services. International Criminal Justice Review, Vol. 25 (4): 361-378, 2015.

In recent years, a growing number of communities have consolidated their police and fire agencies into a single “public-service” agency. Consolidation has appealed to communities seeking to achieve efficiency and cost-effectiveness, but resistance has arisen from organized labor and firefighters. Read More

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Staff Perceptions of Public Safety Consolidation: A Multi-Site Assessment. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, 2014.

Michigan has pioneered public safety consolidation and its public-safety departments have often served as models for other communities moving toward consolidation. Understanding how such efforts have fared in Michigan can yield insights on how they might fare elsewhere. To that end, this research surveyed public-safety personnel at three Michigan departments for their perspectives on consolidation.  

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Featured Research

A Performance-Based Approach to Police Staffing and Allocation

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

Brand Protection and the Global Risk of Product Counterfeits: A Total Business Solution Approach

Edward Elgar Publishing

***WINNER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY DIVISION ON WHITE-COLLAR AND CORPORATE CRIME OUTSTANDING BOOK AWARD***