NCJ Number
240121
Date Published
August 2011
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The authors develop the argument that the Smart Policing Initiatives (SPI), along with other strategic and research-informed initiatives, should measure partnerships and collaborations purposefully and regularly.
Abstract
Partnership and collaboration assessment was included in the national evaluation of the Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiative (SACSI), a prelude to Project Safe Neighborhoods. In each of the 10 cities studied in the SACSI evaluation, researchers analyzed several measures of partnership and collaboration, using observation, survey, and interview data-collection methods. Some example items for measuring partnership and collaboration are listed. The Features measured are partnership cohesion, partnership satisfaction, leadership issues, partnership breadth, the effectiveness of processes, partnership outcomes, problem solving satisfaction, and use of research. Within each of these broad categories of issues to be measured, items related to each of the measures are listed; for example, in measuring partnership cohesion, items that might be included in a survey relate to satisfaction with the partnership, feeling of involvement in the partnership, and a feeling of unity within the partnership. Methods for collecting data on the aforementioned measures of the quality of partnerships and collaboration include surveys of partners, interviews with key partners, focus groups with partners and other stakeholders, document reviews of meeting minutes and attendance, and observation of partnership meetings and partner interactions. Other data-collection tools are participant assessments of the effectiveness of general meetings and workgroup meetings, as well as the monitoring of criminal justice system data and crime data. A summary is provided of partnership characteristics for five sites. 2 tables