LAUSR

Since the rise of “homeland security policing” (Oliver International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, 20(1-2), 49–62, 2006), police agencies from all levels of organization are called on to cooperate by sharing intelligence, equipment, tactics, and training. While the increased level of cooperation between local policing agencies and Federal-level agencies has been well documented, far less attention has been paid to cooperation among agencies that share contiguous jurisdictions. Similarly, a body of research assesses if information is shared across agencies, but far less research exists that investigates if agencies cooperate in ways other than simply sharing information. Through interviews with officers from agencies operating in several adjacent jurisdictions, this research documents the ways in which agencies cooperate, the perceived benefits of cooperation, and the perceived challenges to cooperation. These findings suggest that agencies engage a variety of joint activities, and they agree on the benefits that working together affords. However, the broader political and contextual climates in which these organizations operate often limit the extent to which they can cooperate. Implications of this research for police management are discussed.