The Wicked Problems of Police Reform in Canada (Routledge Series on Practical and Evidence-Based Policing)

"This book looks at police reform in Canada, arguing that no significant and sustainable reform can occur until steps are taken to answer the question of "What exactly do we want police to do?" Adding challenge to this is that setting boundaries on what we expect the police to do requires grappling with the complex social problems we ask them to resolve. In public policy language, these are 'wicked problems' - social or cultural issues frequently seen as intractable. Authors Huey, Ferguson, and Schulenberg, all policing scholars, draw on a unique collection of data to explore these issues: over 20 years of research (2000 to 2021) ranging from in-depth interviews, surveys, and field observations to document analysis and systematic social observation. Pooling this data generates a national-level picture of changes in the policing operational environment over these decades. This book focuses on four particular wicked problems (mental health, substance misuse, homelessness, missing persons) with causes and potential preventative treatments that lie primarily outside the criminal justice system and yet continue to be treated as "policing problems." Bringing about changes in public policing requires changes in public policy, and these are precisely the types of wicked problems that need innovative policy solutions. This book is suitable for a wide range of audiences within and outside Canada, including law enforcement and community leaders; scholars and policy experts who specialize in policing; students of criminal justice, organizations, and management; and citizen-consumers of information about policing"-- Provided by publisher This book looks at police reform in Canada, arguing that no significant and sustainable reform can occur until steps are taken to answer the question of â••What exactly do we want police to do?â•• Adding challenge to this is that setting boundaries on wh Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Information 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 Figures 7 Tables 8 Acknowledgements 9 Introduction 10 Overview 10 Wicked Problems 11 How Wicked Problems Relate to Policing 12 Why Have We Chosen These Issues to Illustrate the ‘Wicked Problem’ Phenomenon? 13 Our Data 15 A Roadmap 16 Notes 18 References 18 1 The Policing Mandate and the Question of Reform 21 Overview 21 Policing Mandate: What Should Police Do? 22 Role and Function: What Do Police Do? 23 What Do Current Reformers Want? 24 Another Explanation: The Conditions of the Work Never Significantly Change 31 Downloading: Bug Or Design Feature? 32 Conclusions 34 Notes 34 References 35 2 Wicked Problem 1: Mental Health 38 Overview 38 Tracking Changes: 2000–2010 39 The Police Operational Environment: 2000–2010 43 Tracking Changes: 2011–2020 46 The Police Operational Environment: 2011–2020 50 Conclusions 53 Notes 54 References 54 3 Wicked Problem 2: Substance Misuse 57 Overview 57 Tracking Changes: 2000–2010 59 The Operational Environment: 2000–2010 62 Tracking Changes: 2011–2020 65 Operational Environment: 2011–2020 68 Conclusions 71 Notes 72 References 73 4 Wicked Problem 3: Homelessness 75 Overview 75 Tracking Changes: 2000–2010 76 The Police Operational Environment: 2000–2010 79 Tracking Changes: 2011–2020 82 The Police Operational Environment: 2011–2020 85 Conclusions 87 Notes 89 References 89 5 Wicked Problem 4: Missing Persons 92 Overview 92 Tracking Changes: 2000–2010 94 The Operational Environment: 2000–2010 96 Tracking Changes: 2011–2020 99 The Operational Environment: 2011–2020 102 Conclusions 105 Notes 106 References 106 6 One Year Later 109 Overview 109 The State of #Defund in Canada 110 Mental Health 113 Homelessness 113 Substance Misuse 114 Missing Persons 116 Conclusions 118 Notes 119 References 119 Conclusion: Moving Forward 123 Overview 123 What We Found 124 How to Move Forward? 126 Final Thoughts 127 References 128 Appendix: The Studies 129 Bibliography 130 Index 133 This book looks at police reform in Canada, arguing that no significant and sustainable reform can occur until until steps are taken to answer the question of "What exactly do we want police to do?"