Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Investigation Of Integrating Change Through Participatory Processes In Police Service Business Planning, Tobi Hermann

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the extent to which Ontario police business planning processes include effective citizen engagement and participation. A content analysis of public consultation data in the London Police Services was conducted and compared to municipal police department documentation in Windsor, Waterloo, and Sudbury. The findings reveal that police services in Ontario have embraced participatory mechanisms to engage the citizenry in an effort to renew democratic principles, increase perceptions of accountability, and legitimize the decisions made in the policy process.