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Introduction

The Evidence-Based Policing App was created by the Police Foundation in close coordination and partnership with George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP), particularly Drs. Cynthia Lum and Christopher Koper who generously made available the work of the Evidence-Based Policing Matrix and the associated Matrix Demonstration Projects in addition to devoting their time to the planning and development of the App. The App was also conceived and is being implemented in coordination with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), with whom the Police Foundation maintains an active and strong partnership. The Police Foundation expresses its sincere gratitude to CEBCP, Drs. Lum and Koper, and to the IACP for their support of the App.

What the App Provides

The Evidence-Based Policing App is designed to provide those on the front-lines of making communities safer with quick, actionable information that can be used to confront crime and safety problems and improve law enforcement while leveraging science and innovation. Although supporting research is made available in the App, it has been designed to “get to the point” and provide practitioners with immediate action steps without requiring research or hours of reading and discerning scientific materials to determine what works.

While a substantial portion of the strategies identified in the App have been derived from CEBCP’s Evidence-Based Policing Matrix Project, the App also offers limited practical tips and strategies in emerging areas of concern or focus that can be considered ideas worthy of careful exploration and experimentation, but don’t yet have the required research support to be considered “evidence-based or “evidence-informed.”

Additionally, the App provides easily consumed summaries of key research and evaluation literature to support practitioners and policymakers in their need to embrace science in policing and to remain aware of and understand the research that contributes to our understanding of what works.

What the App Does Not Provide

The Evidence-Based Policing App is designed to support practitioners and policymakers, who are often required to independently solve community problems by taking immediate action or recommending strategies that can be quickly implemented to improve safety. With this in mind, the App is not designed to list or recommend proprietary or wholly-designed programs that often require substantial discussion and high-level decision-making of various agencies and organizations in a community and sometimes funding resources before implementation can take place. Instead, we refer practitioners interested in knowing what programs have been determined effective, promising and ineffective to visit other online resources, such as the Department of Justice’s CrimeSolutions.gov.

The Evidence-Based Policing App is also not designed to provide a grading scale (i.e., “effective” vs. “promising”) and therefore it is important to note that the level of effectiveness may vary across strategies and suggestions offered within the App. While all of the strategies and recommendations derived from CEBCP’s work have met rigorous standards of science and effectiveness, other material within the App may be more loosely associated or linked or may only represent one study, as opposed to the repeated findings of effectiveness required before being considered evidence-based.

What to Expect – The Future of the App

The Police Foundation and its partner organizations are committed to expanding the App’s content and usefulness, and as funding resources are identified, new material and features can be added. We recognize that the App is a “living” resource to be developed and grown over time, and more evidence-based strategies exist and can be identified. We invite your feedback on the App’s content and features to help us prioritize future enhancements.

For Additional Information

To provide your feedback about the App’s content and features, for further information, or for questions about the App or its content, please contact the Police Foundation at:

Police Foundation
1201 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
(202)833-1460
info@policefoundation.org
www.PoliceFoundation.org