Leading the Way to Evidence-Based Policing

Close-up of police body camera

Evidence-based policing (EBP) is a movement currently being adopted by police agencies around the globe. Recently, the IACP has identified evidence-based practices as one of its core lens—an overarching, cross-cutting value—for the membership organization’s strategic framework and a substantive focus moving forward. As more agencies have embraced EBP, it has quickly become a concept with varying definitions and applications. In its most simplistic form, EBP can be described as a method used to advance police decision-making and guide practice by identifying and encouraging “what works” through the use of research.