The program on Police Consolidation and Shared Services (PCASS) at Michigan State University's School of Criminal Justice provides a single-point resource on structural options available for providing police services in an era of dwindling budgets. Police and public safety agencies have reached a critical juncture. It is no longer feasible for many individual cities, townships and municipalities to maintain their own police and public safety entities. The PCASS program will create, assemble, and disseminate research and other resources on the nature, options, implementation, efficiency, and effectiveness of all forms of consolidation and shared services. Our goal is to be independent and objective so that law enforcement and other officials can assess what model is best for their community.
The PCASS program offers police departments, city mangers, and supervisors information developed by peer agencies across the country and resources to manage transitions effectively, including strategies for structure, staffing and asset deployment; insight into what other communities are doing and how they are performing; guidance to structure consolidation in its many forms; best-practices and bottom-line implementation guidelines from expert practitioners and researchers.
Resources are arranged into three core areas: subject, purpose, and format. Start your research by choosing your subject area from the shield below. Check back often as we are continually updating our library.
