This report presents the titles, authors, and brief summaries of the 23 papers presented at the Harvard Executive Session on Policing and Public Safety (2008-2015).
The order of presentation is from the latest paper (September 2015) to the first paper (September 2009). The most recent paper (September 2015), entitled "Crime and Policing Revisited," examines the growing body of research that indicates policing can reduce crime when it engages the community and focuses on recurring crime problems. The first paper, "One Week in Heron City: A Case Study," (September 2009) describes police work in a fictional city to show how data, analysis, and problem- solving are effective strategies for police executives and their agencies. Other papers, in chronological order, address the changing environment for policing (1985-2008); making policing more affordable; a new paradigm for police science; policing evidence-based practices; a new professionalism in policing; a greater role for criminal investigators in crime control; a case for change in police discipline; police role in prison reentry; challenges for police leadership in a changing world; police use of social media; policing in a democratic society; police role in reducing wrongful convictions; managing the boundary between public and private policing; procedural justice in police encounters; measuring police performance; democratic ideals in the police culture; police role in public discourse on "Black-on-Black" violence; alleviation of race-related problems in policing; professional police leadership; and the implications of childhood trauma in police-citizen interactions.