What You'll Learn
The Concept
Doctors use medical research. Engineers rely on scientific evidence. Businesses analyze performance data. Police organizations increasingly use similar principles through evidence-based policing.
Evidence-based policing encourages law-enforcement agencies to use the best available research, reliable data, professional experience, and careful evaluation when determining what strategies are most likely to improve public safety.
The concept challenges a common organizational problem: 'We've always done it this way.' Experience remains enormously valuable, particularly in policing. But experience alone can sometimes lead organizations to continue programs that appear successful without knowing whether they actually produce the desired result.
Evidence-based policing asks: What problem are we attempting to solve? What does existing research tell us? What does our own data show? What strategy should we implement? How will we measure success? Did it work? Should we continue, modify, or discontinue it?
This approach has contributed to research examining strategies including hot-spots policing, problem-oriented policing, focused deterrence, body-worn cameras, domestic-violence interventions, patrol deployment, community policing, crime analysis, and procedural justice.
Evidence-based policing does not mean researchers replace experienced police professionals. Research cannot completely replicate the complexity of a violent domestic dispute, homicide investigation, rapidly evolving critical incident, or community conflict. Instead, evidence-based policing attempts to combine research with professional judgment.
For example, research provides strong evidence that concentrating appropriate police resources in small locations where crime is highly concentrated can reduce crime. A police administrator can use that research along with local crime data and officers' knowledge to develop a deployment strategy appropriate for the community.
Real-World Application
A department has operated a school-based officer program for fifteen years. Officers and administrators believe it is effective. An evidence-based approach asks: What outcomes are we measuring? What does research say about school-based officer programs? What does our own data show about school safety, referrals, and student outcomes? Are there unintended consequences? The goal is not to eliminate the program but to understand what it actually accomplishes — and whether modifications could improve results.
Why It Matters
For Police Officers
Officers who understand evidence-based policing can participate more effectively in strategy discussions, evaluate new programs critically, and contribute to a professional culture that values learning and improvement.
For Students
Evidence-based policing is a growing area of criminal-justice research and policy. Students who understand its principles can critically evaluate crime statistics, research claims, and policy proposals rather than accepting them at face value.
Think About It
Why might an experienced officer be skeptical of evidence-based policing? How would you respond to that skepticism?
What are the limitations of relying solely on research without incorporating officers' professional knowledge and community context?
Can you identify a police program or strategy in your community that you would want to evaluate using evidence-based principles?
Sources & Further Reading
Sherman, L. W. (1998). Evidence-Based Policing. Police Foundation.
National Institute of Justice. Evidence-Based Policing resources. nij.gov.
Lum, C., & Koper, C. S. (2017). Evidence-Based Policing: Translating Research into Practice. Oxford University Press.