I am
working with former OSCAR Program Coordinator and current GMU student, Denise
Naizare, on her Ph.D research involving policecommunity relations. On a weekly
basis, I read and analyze academic articles in the field of criminology that
discuss police relations, community relations and how it is defined, and
communitypolicing programs. Additionally, after I read and analyze the
academic articles, I produce a literature brief or review on articles that are
most relevant to the research being conducted and critique the articles and
ideas expressed in the articles against other scholars in the field.
One thing
I discovered this week is the way in which communitypolice relations is discussed
in the United States. It seems that the majority of communitypolice relations
focus around racerelations and socioeconomic status; however, scholarship in
the field fail to address how multifaceted a community is, and how
multifaceted an individual is. It goes without saying that an individual's
identity within a community can belong to multiple microcommunities; however,
current literature fails to address how microcommunities can aid in community
policing, especially in urban settings where "street code" is
prevalent.
The
research that I am assisting with is related to my longterm goals because I am
studying the field of international relations with an interest in culture, and
especially Eastern Asian culture. The articles that I have seen gives me a
criminologyfocused lense into community relations, a relationship that
eventually affects domestic and international policies. Furthermore, I have a
minor in the criminologybased Intelligence Analysis, and researching
communitybased relations can allow me to draw from such research if I decide
to pursue an analyst career based in threatanalysis.
