Research

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

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.  

Police agencies in recent years have had increasing difficulty maintaining proper staffing levels and delivering certain functions, particularly those related to community policing and problem-solving activities. Read More

Although there is a large body of research on media coverage of crime and criminal justice issues, there is significantly less information about policing issues generally, and there has not been a study that specifically examines how the consolidation of law enforcement agencies has been presented in the news. This study fills this gap. Read More

Since the economic recession of 2008 and 2009, police agencies have found it increasingly difficult to maintain proper staffing levels, provide basic police service, and deliver certain functions, particularly community policing and problem-solving activities. Read More