'Policing Rural Communities in North America': An International Society for the Study of Rural Crime Roundtable

Abstract

Rural crime and criminal justice practices and responses face different challenges from those experienced in urban contexts.

A practitioner-focused roundtable, convened by The International Society for the Study of Rural Crime (www.issrc.net), investigated challenges and innovations in international contexts on issues surrounding rural policing with a specific focus on rural policing in Canada and the United States. The roundtable was held online on 15 September 2021 and was moderated by Dr. Jessica Peterson, formerly of the University of Nebraska at Kearney (now an Assistant Professor at Southern Oregon University).

Panellists were asked to respond to three key questions:

1. What is the key element to successful community policing in your community?
2. What is one initiative in which you have successfully engaged the community in crime-reduction efforts?
3. What is the most significant challenge to successfully reducing crime in your community?

The following are transcripts of the four presentations from the panelists on this Roundtable.