Looking Back and Forward: The Matrix and its Demonstration Projects

• NCJ Number: 251988
• Journal: Translational Criminology Volume: Spring 2016 Dated: 2016 Pages: 2-4
• Author(s): Cynthia Lum; Christopher S. Koper
• Date Published: 2016
• Length: 3 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2011-DB-BX-K012
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Corporate Author: George Mason University
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description; Program Description (Demonstrative)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article reports on the history, recent developments, and future goals of the Evidence-Based Policing Matrix (the Matrix), an online resource that houses all moderate to highly rigorous evaluations of police crime-control interventions.

Abstract

Brought online in 2010, the Matrix has surpassed the 100,000 mark in website hits and has been used by researchers and practitioners in both policing and non-policing fields. The Matrix has also expanded into projects on the translation of research into policy and practice, training, and technical assistance. This effort is manifested in the Matrix Demonstration Projects (MDP). The Matrix continues to be freely available, accurate, and updated to assist law enforcement agencies with high-quality research and its translation into policing policy and practice. The Matrix's purpose is to show multiple concepts simultaneously in a visual, which can be linked to the research itself. The MDP is a vehicle for training and technical assistance on evidence-based policing and the Matrix, as well as a diverse set of examples developed with collaboration on research translation into policy and practice. Some examples of demonstration projects included in the MDP are provided in this article. Recently, a number of new developments have occurred in the Matrix. The description of each study has expanded. Author-written abstracts have been replaced with more detailed, structured, and standardized descriptions that also include links to other resources specific to that intervention. This effort also included partnering with the Police Foundation to convert the Playbook and the Matrix into a freely available mobile app, also increasing its accessibility. Future innovations will involve new ways to make research evidence more digestible and translatable into daily policing activities, as well as to connect research and researchers to practitioners. 3 figures and 5 references