From Conflict to Co-Production

This chapter examines the transformation of protest policing in Columbus, Ohio – the most sustained application of the Elaborated Social Identity Model (ESIM) principles in the United States. After its response to the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests was condemned as excessive and unconstitutional, Columbus faced lawsuits, injunctions, and a deep legitimacy crisis. Unlike other cities, it used the moment to forge a partnership with academic researchers, turning crisis into an opportunity for reform. This chapter traces five stages: the convergence of the Columbus Division of Police leadership and the ENABLE research team; the creation of a Dialogue Unit and institutionalisation of the partnership; the testing of a facilitation- and communication-led model in high-profile protests; the refinement of practice through features such as “deep” dialogue, integration into command structures, and real-time research; and the wider implications of demonstrating that ESIM can be translated into the U.S. context. Reform in Columbus was contested and fragile, but the case provides the first systematic evidence that dialogue-based protest policing can enhance legitimacy and reduce conflict. It shows that the democratic dilemma of protest policing – balancing rights and order – can be navigated more constructively through evidence-based dialogue and partnership than through coercion.