Jeremy M. Wilson

In the aftermath of 9/11, many law enforcement agencies (LEAs) shifted more resources toward developing counterterrorism (CT) and homeland security (HS) capabilities. This volume examines the effects the focus on CT and HS has had on law enforcement since 9/11, including organizational changes, funding mechanisms, how the shift has affected traditional crime-prevention efforts, and an assessment of benefits, costs, and future challenges.

Many police departments report difficulties in creating a workforce that represents community demographics, is committed to providing its employees the opportunity for long-term police careers, and effectively implements community policing. This book summarizes lessons on recruiting and retaining effective workforces.

Shares results of a survey, sent to every U.S. police agency with at least 300 sworn officers, on recruitment and retention practices. Finds that police compensation, city size, and crime rates affected recruiting. Advertising and incentives had little effect on the number of recruits. Cohort sizes highlighted management challenges. To facilitate comparative and longitudinal staffing analyses, ongoing national data collection is recommended.

A summary of the presentations, discussions, and opinions offered by panelists at a National Summit on Police Recruitment and Retention in the Contemporary Urban Environment held at RAND in June 2008. Topics examined include changing police workforce issues, strategies being employed, lessons that could be learned from other organizations such as the military, and in-depth analyses of police recruiting and retention in selected cities.

U.S. communities depend on reliable, safe, and secure rail systems. Each weekday, more than 12 million passengers take to U.S. railways. This book explains a framework for security planners and policymakers to guide cost-effective rail-security planning, specifically for the risk of terrorism. Risk is a function of threat, vulnerability, and consequences. This book focuses on addressing vulnerabilities and limiting consequences.

Wilson and Dalton explore the extent and characteristics of human trafficking in Ohio through both a content analysis of newspaper accounts and interviews with criminal justice officials and social service providers. The authors identify and discuss sex-trafficking cases in Toledo and forced-labor cases in Columbus, and compare the two cities' responses to human trafficking. They conclude with suggestions on how these responses might be improved.

This study presents recommendations to improve recruiting and retention in the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). The recommendations, tailored to the unique circumstances of the NOPD, include using civilian employees for some jobs now performed by officers; developing a proactive recruiting program; providing housing; increasing the frequency of promotion examinations; eliminating the backlog of promotions; restructuring compensation; establishing a first-responders charter school; and rebuilding the police infrastructure.

Although law enforcement officials have long recognized the need to cooperate with the communities they serve, recent efforts to enhance performance and maximize resources have resulted in a more strategic approach to collaboration among police, local governments, and community members. The goal of these so-called "community policing" initiatives is to prevent neighborhood crime, reduce the fear of crime, and enhance the quality of life in communities. Despite the growing national interest in and support for community policing, the factors that influence an effective implementation have been largely unexplored. Drawing on data from nearly every major U.S. municipal police force, Community Policing in America is the first comprehensive study to examine how the organizational context and structure of police organizations impact the implementation of community policing. Jeremy Wilson’s book offers a unique theoretical framework within which to consider community policing, and identifies key internal and external factors that can facilitate or impede this process, including community characteristics, geographical region, police chief turnover, and structural complexity and control. It also provides a simple tool that practitioners, policymakers, and researchers can use to measure community policing in specific police organizations.

Although law enforcement officials have long recognized the need to cooperate with the communities they serve, recent efforts to enhance performance and maximize resources have resulted in a more strategic approach to collaboration among police, local governments, and community members. The goal of these so-called "community policing" initiatives is to prevent neighborhood crime, reduce the fear of crime, and enhance the quality of life in communities. Despite the growing national interest in and support for community policing, the factors that influence an effective implementation have been largely unexplored. Drawing on data from nearly every major U.S. municipal police force, Community Policing in America is the first comprehensive study to examine how the organizational context and structure of police organizations impact the implementation of community policing. Jeremy Wilson’s book offers a unique theoretical framework within which to consider community policing, and identifies key internal and external factors that can facilitate or impede this process, including community characteristics, geographical region, police chief turnover, and structural complexity and control. It also provides a simple tool that practitioners, policymakers, and researchers can use to measure community policing in specific police organizations.

Examines how state and local law enforcement agencies conducted and supported counterterrorism intelligence activities after 9/11. The report analyzes data from a 2002 survey of law enforcement preparedness in the context of intelligence, shows how eight local law enforcement agencies handle intelligence operations, and suggests ways that the job of gathering and analyzing intelligence might best be shared among federal, state, and local agencies.

This book examines nation-building efforts in such countries as Iraq and Afghanistan, and assesses the success of U.S. and allied efforts in reconstructing internal security institutions.