Evidence-based policing

Abstract

Evidence-based policing (EBP) revolves around the core belief that people are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. The movement offers a process for identifying programs with the most promise for enhancing public safety and for communicating scientific knowledge to practitioner communities. This requires high levels of reciprocity between research and practice, as both sides play a key role in EBP. Unfortunately, the use of scientific evidence in policing remains far from standard practice. However, there have been a number of recent efforts to more tightly integrate research and practice in policing. While it would be inaccurate to describe these efforts as commonplace, they have garnered support from both researchers and practitioners and can help inform attempts to further advance EBP. This introductory chapter provides an overview of the evidence-based movement in policing, discusses the inherent divide between research and practice, and recounts contemporary approaches for supporting and institutionalizing EBP. We conclude with a brief discussion of the chapters comprising The Globalization of Evidence-Based Policing: Innovations in Bridging the Research–Practice Divide. The chapters cover four broad themes of EBP innovation: transferring scientific knowledge to the practice community; empowering officers to conduct police-led science; aligning the work of researchers and practitioners; and incorporating EBP in daily police functions.