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Recent controversial interactions of police with the public have become an issue of important concern for public and governmental leaders, who have openly questioned current models of police training and their effectiveness. This study is asking whether basic police academies utilize curricula that reflect the contemporary challenges of modern policing today and prepare recruits to become not only police officers but also competent and skilled, street-level bureaucrats who can provide an effective and impartial service to their increasingly diverse communities. The aim of this study is to quantify, analyze, and compare the content dedicated to the public administration domain in state-mandated basic training curricula across all 50 states. The study utilizes a mixed-methods research design with content analysis. Data were generated from 49 basic training curricula (with one state not having mandated training standards) and 17 interviews with police training officials. The result shows that despite the paradigm shift in the role of the modern-day police officer, police academies have made little to no progress in bridging the gap between the academy curriculum and the practicality of police work. On average, only 3.21% of basic training curricula are explicitly dedicated to public administration training—a training focused on public service values of fundamental importance to the practice of law enforcement. This article gives public administration scholars a voice in the national debate about the crisis in police–public relations by contributing to the literature on police training reform from a much-needed public administration lens.

This study uses the constellation approach of transition theory as a theoretical framework to depict the ways in which facilitators and barriers in police system's structure, culture, and practice interact to shape police response to persons with mental illnesses (PWMIs). The study utilizes the framework method to analyze 57 in-depth interviews with police officers in Texas. Using a hybrid approach of inductive and deductive thematic analysis, we develop a matrix of four quadrants characterizing the constellation of mental health service provision by police: (1) structural barriers (deficits in resources, unsuccessful collaboration, lack of training), (2) structural facilitators (crisis intervention teams, informal cross-disciplinary collaborations, technology), (3) cultural barriers (role conflict, perceived inability to help, stigma), and (4) cultural facilitators (the police mission ‘to serve and protect’, improving police public image, managerial support). The study ends with recommendations for the scaling up of police mental health service provision to PWMIs.

Public management scholars have long speculated on the importance of interagency collaboration among public agencies in the delivery of public services. This study examines barriers to public interagency collaboration in the area of public safety. Interjurisdictional collaboration among law enforcement agencies at all levels has become emblematic of “new governance” models for enhanced public safety delivery. However, such collaborative efforts encounter many challenges. The purpose of this research is to examine the ways in which cultural fragmentation among law enforcement officials constrain interagency collaboration. This study collected information from 45 law enforcement officers and command personnel from 18 different local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in a large metropolitan area in Texas. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews and focus groups. Analysis of the data revealed three potential dimensions of cultural fragmentation that impede collaborative efforts between agencies and departments: the agency-type dimension, the rank-segment dimension, and the leadership style dimension. Implications for practice and future research are discussed as well.