NCJ Number
137330
Date Published
1992
Length
101 pages
Annotation
Recent trends have spurred the development of interagency service delivery collaboration among law enforcement agencies, but law enforcement leaders must understand the organizational dynamics, political maneuvering, and costs involved before committing their agencies to collaborative ventures.
Abstract
For interagency collaboration to be an available service delivery strategy, it must be perceived as being appropriate and acceptable to an organization. Attention must also be paid to agency resources, management accountability, and agency effectiveness. Research indicates that interagency collaboration promotes greater efficiency in service delivery, improves the role definition of participating agencies, improves the quality and quantity of program information, and minimizes political damage from reduced funding. Interagency collaboration, however, can be costly, and the formation of collaborative ventures will proceed best if there is consensus among participating agencies regarding how best to improve a community's service delivery system. The area with the greatest potential for collaboration involves juvenile justice. The primary vehicle for effecting greater interagency collaboration is community-oriented policing. Methods used to assess interagency collaboration are described such as trend and event analysis and strategic and transition management planning. Additional information on the study procedures and analysis is provided in appendixes. 29 references, 13 endnotes, 5 tables, 10 charts, and 1 illustration