Paper 3. Prospects and Challenges of Research-Practice Partnerships: Lessons from Paterson, NJ’s Coalition for Opioid Assessment and Response

• In Event: Strengthening Evidence-Based Policing Through Applied Research Partnerships Part II

Abstract

Like many urban cities, Paterson, NJ has experienced a significant surge in opioid overdose levels since the COVID-19 pandemic. The overdose crisis led the city to establish the Paterson Coalition for Opioid Assessment and Response (COAR). Led by the Paterson Police Department, COAR is a multi-disciplinary group dedicated to collecting and analyzing data related to the opioid epidemic for the purpose of developing evidence-based overdose prevention strategies. This presentation recounts the experience of the authors as the research partners for the COAR project. Research partner tasks included conducting a problem analysis of overdose incidents, conducting process and outcome evaluations of COAR activities, working with COAR agencies to identify and collect relevant project data, and presenting research findings to community stakeholders. Collectively, the experiences of the authors show the mutual benefits applied partnerships can provide to researchers and practitioners. However, research partner experiences highlight that navigating substantial challenges—which include poor data quality, competing political interests of stakeholders, and community resistance—is a requirement of successful research-practice partnerships.

Authors

• Eric L. Piza, Northeastern University

• Kevin Wolff, John Jay College of Criminal Justice