Public-private partnerships for police reform

Abstract

A growing number of police jurisdictions see the private business community as a dynamic source of external support for police reform. Yet, partnerships with private businesses, if poorly structured, can erode the professionalism and legitimacy of police organizations. In 2003, Vera and the Ford Foundation gathered an international group of police and private sector representatives in Nanyuki, Kenya, to explore the motives that may lead police and business leaders to expand their range of collaborations, as well as the early results from such partnerships. This account of that meeting addresses questions such as how can the dangers of police collusion with business leaders be avoided while encouraging constructive and principled public-private partnerships?