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Social work as a discipline has made progress in many areas, including school social work, military social work, and mental health, to name a few. Conversely, police social work has seen a reduction in advancement within the last three decades. Police departments and social workers have traditionally worked together to deal with community problems. In fact effective prevention, intervention, and stabilization require more than police action and goes beyond the capability of any single agency. Studies show that social services provision has always been a key part of policing, operating alongside service to victims of crimes and the enforcement of the law against offenders. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to explore whether police departments in the state of Minnesota provide social services to crime victims and witnesses and to residents seeking social service assistance in non-crime situations; and (2) to explore strategies for hiring social workers within the agency, and to enhance effective collaboration with the new hires during specific types of responses to interventions, such as mental health crises and domestic violence. A case study design methodology, specifically involving in-depth interviews of 40 Minnesota police chiefs and the utilization of documentations are employed in this study.
Lamin et al. (Mon,) studied this question.