Effective Policing in the 1990's

• NCJ Number: 120544
• Author(s): J K Stewart
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 43 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This address describes the research programs of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and how the research findings have influenced police management policies.

Abstract

NIJ develops and tests new knowledge about police work, responding to the needs of police managers and aiding them in the development of new knowledge. Sixty percent of NIJ's research funding targets the drug problem. The research agenda encompasses both treatment and enforcement. NIJ research has identified drug-crime links; examined trends in drug use by testing arrestees for drug use; assessed innovations such as using civil laws and sanctions against dealers and sellers; and obtained data on how to make prevention, treatment, and enforcement work better. NIJ has identified several areas where public police and private police can cooperate: burglar alarm service calls, employee theft, shoplifting, white-collar crime, and certain antiterrorism activities. NIJ has also focused on the coordination of police efforts with the actions of citizens and other community agencies as well as the private business sector. Other NIJ research areas are the development of nonlethal weapons for police use and the use of voice identification.