Improving policing by integrating craft and science: what can patrol officers teach us about good police work?

Abstract

ABSTRACTEvidence-based policing is one of the latest attempts to change what the police do and how they do it. Within this context the craft of policing is acknowledged but generally undervalued. Neglecting what craft can contribute to science is an overlooked opportunity. This paper examines the insights that officers’ experiences can offer into the kinds of reforms that are both pressing and possible. To do so, we conducted in-depth interviews with 38 patrol officers in a US police department and asked, ‘What are the features of the contemporary police craft that should be taken into account to make science more meaningful and useful for the improvement of actual police practices?’ Our results suggested meaningful reform may require the following: (1) a greater focus on testing a wide array of police responses and the interaction effects between theoretically relevant characteristics of the police officer and the tactic or strategy being tested; (2) using science to help establish performance criteria for measuring work quality; (3) paying more attention to understanding the processes of police interactions, not just outcomes; (4) applying research to improving officers’ communication skills; and (5) discovering ways to use science to advance understanding about the values guiding police discretion.