NCJ Number
88947
Date Published
1983
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Following an exploration of some general problems in connecting research to policy in policing, insights are related to a case study of a failed experiment in team policing in a Dutch city, and some possible future developments in police research are outlined.
Abstract
General discord accompanies efforts to use the results of scientific research in the police policy function. Whereas research emphasizes the accumulation of accurate knowledge, policymaking emphasizes interests and values. Policymaking and research also operate according to different validation structures, objectives, standards, and reward systems. This often leads to unjustified expectations of the possibilities of the other system. To elucidate and enlarge the role of research in the policy process, a distinction should be made between purely scientific research, which aims primarily at epistemological validity, and applied research, which is oriented toward implementary validity. Applied research, which is the most appropriate for the policy function, has three aspects: (1) the cognitive function, the production of general knowledge on the problem; (2) the 'signal' function, which involves the supply of feedback to the policy system by means of selected information; and (3) the diagnostic function, which involves clinical analysis and optimal application (action research). A case study of a Dutch neighborhood team project that failed revealed that a more consistent application of the diagnostic function could have prevented or solved a number of problems. The involvement of researchers in the design of a project as well as providing early input regarding project implementation are crucial. The researcher, however, must be careful to maintain a base in scientific theory and empirical findings. Six notes are listed.