A three-year action-research project that placed social workers and graduate students in community police departments stimulated a rethinking of traditional social work attitudes and practices. Issues uncovered included: selection of staff and students, attitudes about the law, confidentiality, motivating the reluctant client, and sensitivity to police-social worker perceptions of each other. The process of achieving cooperation with police and community agencies is described. Social work education is challenged by the need to produce professionals who will be effective in police-social work interprofessional cooperation as well as offering useful social services to previously unserved populations.