March 8, 2016

The United States has more than 12,000 local police departments and over 4,000 colleges nationwide; the opportunity for collaboration between the two is limitless. Methodist University is partnering with the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) and as a professor, I am seeing first-hand the impact it is having on our community.

Last year, FPD Chief Harold Medlock asked Methodist University to assist FPD with a recommendation offered to them by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Diagnostic Center. Previously, Chief Medlock had requested DOJ conduct an evaluation of the current state of policing in Fayetteville; four recommendations (See p. 26 of DOJ report) followed. FPD requested our help engaging with undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in criminal justice, social work or other social science programs to develop and implement community awareness projects.

Following FPD’s request, the Diagnostic Center arranged for a team from Methodist University to travel to Curry College in Boston to see firsthand what a collaborative university-law enforcement relationship looked like. The Boston Police Department (BPD) was using Curry College’s criminal justice graduate students—as part of their capstone project—to conduct a research study in the Roxbury area of Boston. This collaboration took shape when BPD realized the need for outside assistance in conducting cost-effective research and program development and Curry College stepped up to fulfill that need. We left Boston knowing our university could assist FPD.

After meeting with FPD, we determined the first priority would be to develop and conduct a community survey—both within the community and the police—to develop a baseline for trust. The graduate students in the Masters of Justice Administration program and undergraduates in the Justice Studies Program would participate as part of their coursework. We are currently in this process, with the next semester of students picking up the tasks where the last class left off. We have also elicited support from criminal justice students from another local university, Fayetteville State University, to participate in the administration of the survey.

While this partnership is not without challenges, especially as it pertains to securing financial resources for conducting the survey, I can already see the long term benefit of a collaborative relationship between FPD and Methodist University. FPD gains research expertise and resources to conduct important surveys and supplement other analytical work. Our students, criminal justice professionals working primarily in law enforcement, are being given invaluable experiences to take back to their respective departments. In addition, the work being done through this collaboration helps hone students’ critical thinking, problem-solving and interpersonal communication skills—all essential in developing and maintaining strong community-police relations.

Both the University and the FPD have unique resources which, in combination, are a force multiplier for improving the community. I am excited about the future. The collaboration between Methodist University and the FPD will strengthen community-police relations and crime prevention efforts, leading to a better quality of life for our citizens.

For more information visit http://www.bethebadge.com/files/pdf/2014DoJRept.pdf