NCJ Number
234231
Journal
Journal of Experimental Criminology Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2011 Pages: 3-26
Date Published
March 2011
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the next phase of evidence-based policing.
Abstract
The next phase of evidence-based policing requires both scholars and practitioners to move from lists of specific studies about "what works" to using that information strategically. This requires developing generalizations or principles on the nature of effective police strategies and translating the field of police evaluation research into digestible forms that can be used to alter police tactics, strategies, accountability systems, and training. In this article, the authors present a tool intended for such use: the Evidence-Based Policing Matrix. The Matrix is a consistently updated, research-to-practice translation tool that categorizes and visually bins all experimental and quasi-experimental research on police and crime reduction into intersections between three common dimensions of crime preventionthe nature of the target, the extent to which the strategy is proactive or reactive, and the specificity or generality of the strategy. The author's mapping and visualization of 97 police evaluation studies conducted through December 31, 2009, indicate that proactive, place-based, and specific policing approaches appear much more promising in reducing crime than individual-based, reactive, and general ones. The authors conclude by discussing how the Matrix can be used to guide future research and facilitate the adoption of evidence-based policing. (Published Abstract)