The Limits of Police–Community Collaboration in Communities of Color
Background
Collaboration between government agencies and community organizations is often viewed as essential for improving service delivery and creating public value. In communities of color, such collaboration is especially important given long-standing exclusions and inequities in citizen–state relationships.
Purpose
This study examines collaboration between police and community leaders and organizations in Hartford, Connecticut. Drawing on 88 in-depth interviews, it explores how collaborative community policing efforts are formed, implemented, and constrained.
Outcome
The findings reveal significant limits to police–community collaboration related to resources, reach, expectations, implementation, and power imbalances. Even when collaboration is achieved, its effects on police–community relations remain fragile and can be undermined by leadership changes or critical incidents. The study underscores that collaboration alone is not sufficient to produce lasting improvements in police–community relations in communities of color.