The National Policing Institute team is excited to introduce InFocus, a series where we address various issues facing policing. Each month, we will dive into a specific topic, sharing insights from the field as well as research findings and resources that may benefit you, your agency, or your neighborhood. Our spotlight this month is on evidence-based policing.
The big picture: Adopting evidence-based policing is important, but effectively translating, adapting and implementing it is also vital.
It’s important to consider what research and available data say before making decisions or implementing programs, strategies, or changes. This philosophy is evidence-based policing, and it’s a guiding framework that encourages the integration of science into the profession.
There are many “evidence-based” programs and strategies in the field, and we know that sometimes those program descriptions and prior examples of implementation can lead to questions about “fit” and adaptability. Unfortunately, these questions may also lead some to pass on adoption — even when the concept or program can deliver positive results.
This got us thinking about the growing field of research referred to as “implementation science.” It suggests that we can do more to promote the adoption of evidence-based policies and practices through effective translation, adaptation and implementation to local conditions. These things are just as critical as selecting a program that is evidence-based. Adaptation is absolutely possible, and, in fact, it’s almost always needed.
What science says: Implementation matters.
Applying evidence to policing was inspired by the medical and broader public health community’s “evidence-based medicine.” The available research on this confirms that the implementation of this concept mattered then and matters now.
Implementation science was originally defined as “the scientific study of methods to promote the systematic uptake of research findings and other evidence-based practices into routine practice.”
Essentially, implementation science seeks to close the gap between what we know and what we do by identifying and addressing barriers that slow or halt our understanding of evidence-based practices.
Many argue that what works somewhere doesn’t and won’t work everywhere else. This means bringing an evidence-based policing practice that worked in a big city to a small, rural agency in the Midwest and simply saying, “Do this,” isn’t going to cut it.
Implementing evidence-based practices should be a flexible process. Police and community leaders have experience and insight into their own unique challenges, which must be considered when implementing new approaches or changing practices. This is where implementation science comes to life. Involving the community and officers in strategy development can produce a practical variant of evidence-based approaches that are both effective and sustainable for their specific and unique community.
The bottom line: Communities can still benefit from proven, evidence-based strategies even if the science isn’t perfect.
These resources can help you identify, adapt and implement evidence-based practices and strategies in your community.
- Find what works for you. The Evidence-Based Policing Matrix, created by George Mason University’s (and NPI board member) Dr. Cynthia Lum and Dr. Christopher Koper, is a research-to-practice translation tool that collects, summarizes and organizes policing strategies based on rigor, effectiveness and category. In her 2009 Ideas in American Policing essay, Dr. Lum recognizes the then-state of evidence-based policing in agencies and her ground-breaking matrix. Dive in.
- Resources at your fingertips. The National Institute of Justice developed a crime solutions data hub that offers evidence-based programs and practices rated effective, promising, or ineffective — assisting agencies in implementing “what works” for their community.
- Beyond the US. Policing research isn’t limited to the United States. Explore evidence-based policing research available from around the world.
- Data and strategy. This three-part webinar series presented by Justice Clearinghouse and the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing offers insights on how to understand your agency’s data, how to operationalize it, and then apply evidence-based practices.
- Join the movement. The American Society of Evidence-Based Policing (ASEBP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging the implementation of the best and most effective policing practices. ASEBP offers education and valuable resources to its members.
Bibliography
Eccles MP, Mittman BS. (2006.) Welcome to Implementation Science. Implementation Science, 1(1).
Sherman LW. (1998.) Evidence-Based policing. National Policing Institute.
University of Washington. (n.d.). What is implementation science?