august-2016

August 2016

Research in law enforcement allows both the police and the public to gain an objective look at what works, what can be done better, and what needs to change in order for law enforcement to best fulfill its responsibilities. Research on issues (e.g., police-involved shootings) and new technologies (e.g., body-worn cameras) can be used to elevate the current status quo, inform best practices, and provide guidance for law enforcement as it moves forward. In addition, as the demand for transparency continues to rise, research and evidence-based policing can provide valuable data for all stakeholders.

Articles

  • Building Better Early Intervention Systems

    By Crystal Cody, Estella Patterson, and Kerr Putney, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Police Department Jennifer Helsby, Joe Walsh, Lauren Haynes, and Rayid Ghani, University of Chicago, Illinois Samuel Carton, University of Michigan Kenneth Joseph, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvnani Ayesha Mahmud, Princeton University, New Jersey Youngsoo Park, University of Arizona    
    A few years ago, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Police Department?s (CMPD?s) Early Intervention System (EIS) flagged an officer who had been involved in an unusually high number of inciden...

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  • Fatal Shootings by U.S. Police Officers in 2015: A Bird’s Eye View

    By Justin Nix, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Louisville, Kentucky Bradley A. Campbell, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Louisville, Kentucky Geoffrey P. Alpert, PhD, Professor, University of South Carolina
    Do the police exhibit bias when deciding to shoot? Experimental studies have yielded mixed evidence, and, until last year, there was no reliable national-level data pertaining to citizens killed by po...

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  • Employing Near-Repeat Patterns for Community-Driven Crime Prevention

    By Elizabeth Groff, PhD, Associate Professor, Temple University, Pennsylvania, Travis Taniguchi, PhD, Research Criminologist, Policing, Security, and Investigative Science Program, RTI International, North Carolina
    A major challenge of crime prevention in policing is the need to ?anticipate the place and time of occurrence.?1 Modern policing tactics have focused on the need to better focus limited resources with...

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  • Accessing the Evidence in Policing: Six Helpful Websites

    By Lorraine Mazerolle, PhD, Professor, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Australia Peter Martin, PhD, Assistant Commissioner, Brisbane Police Region, Queensland Police Service, Australia, Adjunct Professor, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Australia
    One of the key assumptions of the evidence-based policing movement is that police will be inclined to adopt a research-informed approach to policing practices if they access, read, and digest what the...

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  • Knowledge Is Power - Using Technology to Gain Forensic Intelligence

    By Jeri D. Ropero-Miller, PhD, Director, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Project Director, Forensic Technology Center of Excellence, National Institute of Justice John S. Morgan, PhD, Senior Director, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
    Forensic intelligence can be derived from the accurate and timely processing of forensic case data across numerous investigations or various disciplines. The results of forensic analysis can be used j...

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  • Seattle’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Program

    By Susan E. Collins, Harm Reduction Research and Treatment (HaRRT) Center, University of Washington - Harborview Medical Center Kris Nyrop, LEAD National Support Bureau, Public Defender AssociationSeema L. Clifasefi, HaRRT Center Heather S. Lonczak, HaRRT Center Lisa Daugaard, LEAD National Support Bureau, Director, Public Defender Association
    Drug users and sex workers frequently cycle through the criminal justice system in what is sometimes referred to as a ?revolving door.?1 On balance, the traditional approach of incarceration and prose...

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  • Technology in Policing: The Case for Body-Worn Cameras and Digital Evidence

    By Barak Ariel, Lecturer in Experimental Criminology, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and Lecturer, Institute of Criminology, Faculty of Law, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

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  • Strengthening Policing Science at the National Institute of Justice

    By Nancy Rodriguez, PhD, Director, National Institute of Justice

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