Interagency collaboration: An administrative and operational assessment of the Metro-LEC approach

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine an interagency collaboration (The Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council - Metro-LEC), consisting of 42 law enforcement agencies that provide mutual aid and assistance to member agencies in times of need. Design/methodology/approach: In total, four sources of data (personnel interviews, written survey, organizational documents and participant observation) were used as part of a case study method, to assess the administrative and operational functioning of the Metro-LEC. Findings: In sum, the findings conclude that the organization is meeting the needs of the member agencies, with few unmanageable impediments. Research limitations/implications: Since the current study relies on a case study from a single collaborative agency, the findings come with caution, in terms of generalizability. Originality/value: This psprt contributes to the literature on police interagency collaboration and is the first known study on a Law Enforcement Council (LEC).