Enter the concept of evidence-based policing, which is, in part, a guide to doing what
works to enhance public safety. Evidence-based policing employs fundamental applied
research methods designed to evaluate the cause-and-effect relationship between police
initiatives and measurable outcomes. So, for example, if the police initiative is a program
like the DARE program, the goal should be for students to avoid drug use and its conse-
quences which may include dropping out of school, being arrested for drugs or other
crimes, or becoming addicted to drugs. In an evidence-based policing context, you would
evaluate the program by comparing a group of students who successfully complete the full
DARE program with another similar group who did not attend the program. If the group
that completed the program drops out of school, get arrested or becomes addicted to
drugs at a lower rate than the other group, you can conclude that the program is accom-
plishing its goals. This, perhaps harsh, reality is based on empirical evidence rather than
vague perceptions like DARE seems like the right thing to do or DARE feels good . Instead,
you could state up front that a goal of the program is to build the students trust in the
police and measure it by numbers such as out-of-class student-initiated interactions with
officers.
An enforcement example of evidence-based-policing may be a neighborhood drug interven-
tion plan. The goal of the plan should be to reduce overall crime or violence resulting from
the target area drug activity. At the end of a given period of time, the officers may have
produced arrests, citations and drug or gun seizures; they may be proud, but if they haven’t
reduced the crime or violence rates, they have not been successful. They have measured
the wrong results by measuring outputs instead of outcomes. An evidence-based policing
approach would have them measure felony crimes of violence in the target neighborhood
before and after the intervention or program. If they haven’t reduced crimes of violence,
the simple outputs of arrests, or drug and gun seizures haven’t accomplished the goal. It
may produce good press or it may alienate the neighborhood, but it hasn’t accomplished
its main goal; violent crime reduction.
For a third, and final, example, consider a traffic accident intervention program. If the
goal of a selective enforcement plan or intervention is to reduce DUI accidents, injury acci-
dents, fatal accidents, or intersection accidents; measuring the total number of citations,
warnings or vehicles towed during the period of the program does not tell you whether or
not you have accomplished the goal(s). An evidence-based policing approach would have
you measuring the original goal activity, i.e., DUI accidents, injury accidents, etc. before and
after the enforcement period. If the intervention strategy is not accomplishing the goal(s),
a simple tweaking of the intervention methods may be all that is needed to accomplish
realistic measurable goals.
Evidence-based policing, which may be nothing more than an advancement in the problem-
solving component of Community Policing, provides much more rational accountability for
the expenditure of police resources. Moreover, it begets a more advanced and refined level
of expertise in community problem-solving. Simplifying and using applied research methods to
community problems may well be one of the keys to better policing in the 21 st century.
www.gachiefs.com • Page 15 • 2nd Quarter Newsletter