Leveraging Police/Academic Partnerships to Improve Officer Training: How Community Immersion Training Improves Officer Performance

• In Event: Police Effectiveness and Performance

Abstract

Calls for relational policing have compelled law enforcement agencies to identify ways to better engage the public in an effort to co-create public safety. While some agencies increased community policing programs, other agencies enhanced their training. The Columbus Division of Police (CDP) was no exception to this and adopted Community Immersion Training, which teaches officers about the community and its residents through direct interaction and engagement. While officers are immersed in the community, they learn: 1) neighborhood characteristics, 2) resources that are available to residents, and 3) resident perspectives on co-creating public safety. The ultimate goal of community immersion training is to increase public safety by strengthening an officer’s understanding of the community, while simultaneously increasing the community’s understanding of the role of officers. To date, 285 officers have completed community immersion training. Results have found that community immersion training has increased officers’ knowledge of the community, which has subsequently improved officer performance while on patrol. This study includes an overview of community immersion training, lessons learned, implications for practice and strategies for leveraging partnerships in officer training.

Author

• Chenelle Jones, Franklin University