Change, Innovation & Reform in Policing: Understanding the Crucial Role of Officer Receptivity

Police innovation in the context of community relationships has historically emerged as a response to a social crisis, and the current calls for change are no different. Although innovative programs are internally initiated in police departments, resistance is a common theme within the profession and can impede change. However, little research has been conducted on the determinants of police receptivity to innovation, despite being an area that is necessary in the process of facilitating sustainable change. The current research fills this gap in that it adds to the reviewed literature on police receptivity to innovative practices in both community policing and co-response, an alternative response that involves officers attending to a call for service alongside a behavioral health specialist. It is also a first step in seeking the critical opinions of those who do the day-to-day work of community engagement in policing- line officers. It also acknowledges the current issues that exist between the police and the marginalized communities they serve, namely Black communities and those who experience mental illness. The study explores what impediments exist at the officer level in being receptive to innovative practices in community policing, and the co-responder model. The findings show that officer receptivity is nuanced and has implications for both research and policy.<p></p>