To explore community economic development as a responsibility of law enforcement, a Delphi study was initiated to assess how municipal law enforcement agencies evaluated their impact on community economic development by the year 2007.
The study involved a review of existing literature and a panel of 28 experts and focused on Sacramento, California, as the sample city. Panel members participated in an Internet-based, modified Delphi process to identify and forecast environmental trends and events they felt would have the greatest impact on the study question. Trends identified by the panel were the increasing demand for quality and cost-effective services and the increasing relevance of local economic indicators. Events identified by the panel included the arrival of a new industrial employer in a local community, the loss of current business and industry, and the election of political interests who believed in government privatization. The study concluded community economic development is part of law enforcement's changing role, particularly in the context of community policing and the partnership between law enforcement and the community in crime control efforts. 8 endnotes