Introduction to Volume 7, Issue 1 (Special Issue)

Police officers and agencies in the twenty-first century garner significant attention from politicians, researchers, journalists, and the general public alike. Much policing research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of police while highlighting opportunities for reform. Largely missing from the mainstream discussion and literature, however, is attention to these issues in rural communities. Significant portions of the world’s population reside in rural communities and rely on rural police agencies for access to formal justice system processing. The context of a rural setting uniquely affects the way in which police operate, engage community members, and more.