Research in Brief: All Bark and No Empirical Bite

Recent research has placed one of policing’s most venerable tools—the K9 unit—under fresh empirical scrutiny. The findings of a new study run counter to long-held convictions on both sides of the debate: for decades, one camp has insisted that K9s deter crime, reduce officer harm, and bolster law enforcement’s public image, while the other has contended that K9 deployment leads to undue injury, violates constitutional protections, and perpetuates racial disparities.

Read More
Research in Brief
Share
The challenge of bringing about substantial organizational change in policing extends beyond reform. Police chiefs are tasked with guiding their agencies through various dynamics, including shifts in ...
Research in Brief
Share
Are officers more likely to shoot and to fire more rounds when nearby officers open fire at a suspect? This question directly addresses the “contagious fire” phenomenon, which comes into play in p...
Research in Brief
Share
In the United States, nearly 5 million people currently serve as professional or volunteer first responders, including police officers, emergency communication operators (ECOs), correctional officers ...
Research in Brief
Share
A few years ago, predictive policing was all the rage. The term appeared with considerable frequency, companies offered expensive software options to police departments, and related sessions at the IA...
Research in Brief
Share
Police agencies are grappling with a significant reduction in personnel. Across the United States, there has been nearly a 5 percent decrease in sworn staff over the past three years.1 Since May 20...
Research in Brief
Share
Law enforcement and the communities they serve want many of the same things. They want effective responses to crime and other problems. They want policing that promotes safety and trust....
Research in Brief
Share
In 2016, 33 percent of local law enforcement agencies used bicycle patrols on an as-needed basis, with 6 percent utilizing them regularly. This marked a slight increase from 2007 when around 27 per...
Research in Brief
Share
Calls for a police workforce that is diverse with respect to race, ethnicity, and gender date back many years, and the benefits of diversity are now well supported by empirical research.1 Yet, achi...
Research in Brief
Share
Diversifying policing agencies may be an essential step in building community trust. Yet, women officers make up just 12 percent of sworn officers and 3 percent of police leaders in the United States....
Research in Brief
Share
  While a significant number of community members perceive that many uses of force are excessive, police agencies and the criminal courts rarely find that force is legally unreasonable. This disc...