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Deliberating Police Reform

Managing Agonism Through Dialogue on Long Island

Deliberating Police Reform cover

Deliberating Police Reform

Managing Agonism Through Dialogue on Long Island

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Pre-order. Available 06 Aug 2026
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Description

What happens when a mandate for justice becomes a blueprint for preserving power?

Examining how Long Island's two major counties-Suffolk and Nassau-responded to New York State's mandate to reform and reinvent policing in the wake of George Floyd's murder, Deliberating Police Reform draws on interviews, historical context, and detailed analysis of reform taskforces to reveal how deliberative processes meant to empower communities instead often blunted meaningful change. Suffolk County, operating under federal scrutiny and a history of high-profile abuses, engaged a diverse group of stakeholders and appeared to pursue reform earnestly. Yet entrenched power, especially within the Police Benevolent Association, constrained outcomes and diluted advocates' demands. Nassau County, by contrast, treated reform as a public-relations exercise: officials emphasized “trust-building,” resisted acknowledging disproportionate policing, withheld data, and ultimately authored a reform plan with little community input.

Across both counties, the author argues that deliberation-when structured by those who hold power-can manage, mute, or redirect public pressure rather than address the systemic problems that sparked protest. Introducing the concept of managing agonism, it shows how moving activists from the streets to the conference table can displace demands, weaken momentum, and reinforce existing hierarchies. Deliberating Police Reform ultimately exposes the subtle dynamics that preserve the status quo while illuminating paths for more democratic, accountable reform.

Accessibility Information

Additional accessibility information

  • PDF/UA-2, 1.4
  • accessibility@bloomsbury.com

Hazards

The publication contains no hazards

Support for non-visual reading

Has alternative text descriptions for images

Navigation

  • Page list to go to pages from the print source version
  • Elements such as headings, tables, etc for structured navigation
  • All or substantially all textual matter is arranged in a single logical reading order

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Context for Police Reform in Suffolk County, NY
3. Suffolk County Reform and Reinvention Narrative
4. Analysis of Suffolk County Police Reform
5. The Context for Police Reform in Nassau County, NY
6. Narrative and Analysis of Nassau County Police Reform
7. Implications of Long Island's Police Reform
Appendix: Complete list of taskforce and stakeholders – Suffolk County
Select Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published 06 Aug 2026
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Pages 252
ISBN 9781683937166
Imprint Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
Series The Fairleigh Dickinson University Press Series in Communication Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

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