News

As 2019 comes to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on the impact we’ve had throughout the year and contemplating what more we can accomplish in the new year. This year, we were honored to see several of the National Police Foundation’s historic policing experiments highlighted in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know.

In the book, Gladwell describes our efforts to engage with strangers in various contexts in society. As he puts it, “In all of these cases, the parties involved relied on a set of strategies to translate one another’s word and intentions. And, in each case something went very wrong.” Gladwell uses case studies to examine the strategies that motivated or guided each interaction and questions their origins and effectiveness.

A few of Gladwell’s case studies focus on the strategies often relied upon by police to interact with strangers, highlighting tragic cases where these interactions didn’t go as anyone would hope. He references historical studies that are so well-known in our field, led by the likes of legendary criminologists George Kelling, Larry Sherman and David Weisburd. Gladwell points out what we didn’t understand about interacting with strangers through policing and how these studies helped us better understand the dynamics at play. These renowned criminologists and the historical research they each led had something in common that Gladwell didn’t directly mention in his book—they all were affiliated with and conducted research on behalf of the National Police Foundation, including the National Police Foundation’s Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment and our Displacement and Diffusion Study.

There are few better ways of understanding the benefits of an organization’s work than having a 5-time bestselling author and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people highlight its work. But there is also some irony in the fact that he does not mention the National Police Foundation specifically. Ironic yet appropriate, given that, as an independent organization, we don’t seek to represent others, and we often don’t seek the recognition perhaps we should or could. Instead, we seek to leverage science and data to make positive change in the ways in which officers and communities come together to ensure just, fair, and effective outcomes for all—strangers and familiar faces alike.

As you review our 2019 Annual Report, we hope that our work to create this change becomes familiar to you and that we can count on you to join us in our pursuit of a stronger and more just democracy. Together, we can define more effective strategies and translations that can improve trust between police and the communities they serve.

In closing, I’d be honored to ask you for your support of our work—the kind of work that Gladwell points out is critically needed to improve how we engage with each other and to bring about strong and trusting relationships between the police and the communities they serve, as well as to strengthen our faith in and dedication to the rule of law.

—Jim Burch, President, National Police Foundation

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The new national headquarters for the Foundation sits between the newly announced Amazon headquarters and the also recently announced innovation campus of Virginia Tech, in Crystal City, Virginia.

The Foundation’s new state-of-the-art training and conference center (located onsite) showcases quotes from policing leaders and historic figures such as Lee Brown, Sir Robert Peel, Larry Sherman, and William J. Bratton. The quotes are designed to promote community engagement and a renewed focus on evidence-based policing.

“Of all the ideas in policing, one stands out as the most powerful force for change: police practices should be based on scientific evidence about what works best.” — Professor Lawrence W. Sherman

“The police must secure the willing cooperation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain public respect.” — The Right Honourable Sir Robert Peel

“The reality is that there is a divide between the police and some people in communities that need us most, but that divide can be bridged—the reality is that the people and the police can be partners.” — Commissioner William J. Bratton

The Foundation looks forward to hosting its partners and colleagues in 2020 at its new headquarters.

Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGIC) are an interagency collaboration focused on the immediate collection, management, and analysis of crime gun evidence, such as cartridge casings, in real time, to identify shooters, disrupt criminal activity, and to prevent future violence. CGICs rely on an ongoing collaboration between the ATF, local police department, crime laboratory, probation and parole, prosecuting attorneys, U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO), crime analysts, community groups, and academic organizations.

In Los Angeles, CA the post-CGIC period demonstrated a decrease of 18.9% in homicides, a 7.7% decrease in firearm-related homicides, and the firearm related robbery rate decreased by 3.1%. Uchida, C., Quigley, A., Anderson, K. Evaluating the Los Angeles Crime Gun Intelligence Center (2019) (Photo by: National Police Foundation)

Through its National Resource and Technical Assistance Center (NRTAC) for Improving Law Enforcement Investigations, the National Police Foundation (NPF) is providing training and technical assistance to jurisdictions participating in the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Local Crime Gun Intelligence Center Initiative. These sites promote interagency collaboration focused on the immediate collection, management, and analysis of crime gun evidence across local, state, and federal partners. The primary outcome of CGIC sites is the identification of armed violent offenders for investigation and prosecution. Other outcomes include: identifying crime gun source, efficiently allocating resources, providing decision-makers with the most accurate crime data available, increasing case closure rates, advancing public safety, and preventing gun crime.

Between November 2019 and February 2020, the NRTAC will conduct eight CGIC site assessments for the FY19 BJA grant-funded CGIC sites: Baltimore, MD; Little Rock, AR; Tampa, FL; Saint Paul, MN; Columbia, SC; Houston, TX; Wichita, KS; and Winston-Salem, NC.

The NRTAC team meets with the Baltimore (MD) Police Department, ATF, and other partners for their onsite Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) assessment. (Photo by: National Police Foundation)

A team of subject matter experts will participate in a two-day site assessment to identify areas for process improvement according to the seven-step CGIC workflow designed by the NRTAC. Evaluation of cartridge case collection; National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) entry and correlation; intelligence analysis and investigation; state and federal prosecution; and feedback will occur to develop a comprehensive CGIC recommendations guide and process map. This guide serves as the basis for each CGIC site’s strategic plan development to ensure policy and process improvements and implementation.  Through training and technical assistance provided by the NRTAC, each CGIC site is well-positioned to sustain their CGIC processes beyond the course of the grant funding.

For media inquiries, please contact media@policefoundation.org. 

The National Police Foundation, with funding from the Motorola Solutions Foundation, is developing a professional leadership development specialized training program for public safety leaders. The curriculum will be grounded in the lessons learned and best practices identified through rigorous after-action studies of mass violence incidents and responses to them. Focus areas will include tactical and command lessons learned at major incidents, threat assessment, mental health and resilience of responders, and best and next practices in preparation for, response to, and recovery from mass casualty attacks. The training will be piloted in the Summer of 2020.

This initiative, made available to law enforcement agencies in Mexico, is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Mérida Initiative, with additional training and technical assistance provided by the National Police Foundation.

There are currently more than 75 state, municipal, and federal public safety agencies pursuing or maintaining CALEA accreditation in Mexico, including police departments, public safety training academies, public safety communication centers, and as of October 2019, Mexico’s first public safety investigative agency. In November of 2018, CALEA inaugurated its first accreditation hearing in Mexico City.

Public safety leaders in Mexico continue to demonstrate commitment to achieving CALEA Accreditation and heightened professionalism through participation in focus groups, workshops and events offered in the country.  This commitment was showcased during the National Police Foundation’s Best Practices in CALEA Accreditation event held in Mexico City September 23^rd-24^th, 2019, where over 100 public safety officials representing a majority of the states in Mexico attended the event to receive training in accreditation best practices, listen to personal accounts from fellow attendees, and learn from speeches given by CALEA and Police Foundation leadership.

The National Police Foundation serves 64 Mexican public safety agencies, including 25 training academies, 21 law enforcement agencies, 17 communication centers, and one state investigative agency.

Background:

The Mérida Initiative is a bilateral security cooperation agreement between Mexico and the United States of America. Through nearly ten years of implementation, the Mérida Initiative has led to greater cooperation between the United States and Mexico. It provides tangible support to Mexico’s law enforcement and judicial institutions, strengthens border security, and helps to counteract the activities of transnational criminal organizations and the illegal trade in narcotics. To date, through the Mérida Initiative the United States has delivered USD 1.8 billion in equipment, training, and capacity building assistance to the government of Mexico.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA®) was created in 1979 as an independent, not-for-profit credentialing authority. The purpose of CALEA’s Accreditation Programs is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by: maintaining a body of standards, developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence. This accreditation program provides public safety agencies an opportunity to voluntarily demonstrate that they meet an established set of professional standards based on industry best practices and approved by an all-volunteer board of commissioners.

The National Police Foundation is a U.S.-based, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and science. For nearly 50 years, the National Police Foundation has conducted research on all aspects of policing, provided training and technical assistance in all aspects of policing, and has led the way in promoting and sharing evidence-based practices and innovation among law enforcement in the U.S. and internationally. For more information on the National Police Foundation, please visit www.policefoundation.orgor www.fundacionpolicia.org.mx. For media inquiries, please contact media@policefoundation.org.

The National Police Foundation and George Mason University will conduct a randomized control trial to test the idea that stops can be conducted in such a way that reduces crime and that can be implemented effectively, legally, and without alienating the community.

The National Police Foundation will also conduct a lab study replication of the findings of a previous study on confidence and accuracy in eyewitness identification using show-ups; a field study testing the same question as part of actual police eyewitness procedures; and a survey of current practices in eyewitness identification that will help update our knowledge of changes in the field related to eyewitness identification practices and the extent to which these are evidence-based.

Both studies will benefit from the experience of the Foundation’s in-house research scientists, who have a long history of conducting scientific experiments to advance policing— including studies focused on patrol practices, use of force, shift lengths and crime reduction strategies. For more information on our research, see our Project Page and Publications.

This essay introduces futures thinking and discusses how it can be a valuable tool for contemporary police leaders. It starts with an overview of the emergence of futures thinking and a description of how one long-term police chief was able to effectively use this tool during his career. The essay next explains what futures thinking entails and how it can be integrated into strategic planning and decision making.  Finally, several prominent trends of relevance to policing are considered. The intent of the document is to orient the reader to what futures thinking entails and how it can be integrated into the work habits and routines of a police leader to increase her or his efficacy.

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