JUNE 2006 HOT TOPIC
Policing Research at RAND
RAND has a significant body of high-impact research on criminal justice policy, including a number of significant studies on policing. Policing is one of the most important services local governments provide. Nevertheless, today's police departments are stretched thin, and are being asked to do more with less. Increasing demands for accountability, new homeland security responsibilities, and a diminishing pool of candidates with the skills required of police officers have placed unprecedented strains on police agencies of all sizes.
Policing is currently the single most expensive service that local governments provide, costing more than $36 billion a year nationwide. With city budgets and other funding severely limited, it is imperative that police forces use what resources they have to the best advantage possible. But to date, the federal government has not made any systematic effort to establish cost-effective practices for police agencies and evaluate the quality of policing.
Balanced, objective, empirical research is an important part of a rigorous endeavor to improve quality in a cost-effective way. The Center on Quality Policing (CQP) was established by RAND in 2006 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to meet this need, funded in part by a federal appropriation. Its mission is to help guide local police agencies as they work to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations and manage costs.
The Center's work focuses on four interrelated areas:
- Best Practices. Work here will develop training programs and guides for police organizations aimed at helping them make the greatest gains in performance as cost-effectively as possible. These materials will address significant policing challenges, such as suppressing violence, recruiting officers, allocating and deploying patrols, managing work schedules, and conducting investigations. Work will also provide useful information to local, state, and federal policymakers charged with allocating funds for law enforcement agencies.
- Performance Measurement. Work here will shape the national discussion of what it means for a police force to be “effective,” proposing to measure this by developing metrics that local police departments can use to improve quality, efficiency, and accountability. By presenting performance metrics in tandem with best practices, the Center will be able to work with police agencies to make data-driven decisions about how to enhance performance and design effective systems for improving quality.
- Use of Technology. Work here will focus not just on the implementation and effectiveness of new equipment, but also on management systems and behavioral intervention technologies. Studies will provide police departments and communities with guidance on the cost-effectiveness of new technologies, their risks and benefits, and the best ways of incorporating them into policing operations.
- Force Planning. Work here will entail joint studies with local police departments to help them identify and plan for the challenges of developing and maintaining a qualified work force. This research will produce important lessons about how police agencies can better cope with changes in their recruitment and operational environments.
The Center is part of the Safety and Justice Program within the RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment division. It draws upon RAND's long tradition of high-impact research on criminal justice policy.
For more information on the CQP and for links to current publications, see http://www.rand.org/ise/centers/quality_policing/.
Recently Released Studies from the CQP
Examples of work conducted within the Center include the following:
- The Cincinnati Police Department, Fraternal Order of Police, and American Civil Liberties Union pledged in 2002 to collaborate in efforts to resolve social conflict, improve community relations, and avoid litigation. They asked RAND to review their progress. Read More »
- Local police agencies struggling to attract and retain high-quality law enforcement officers should develop long-range planning strategies to help meet their future needs. Read More »
- State and local law enforcement agencies may be uniquely positioned to augment federal intelligence capabilities in the war on terrorism, but they would benefit from increased funding, training, and oversight. Read More »
- A systematic examination of nearly every large municipal police organization in the United States illustrated that environmental and structural characteristics influence community policing, but they are also interrelated, suggesting that the implementation process is complicated and unique for each community. Read More »
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RAND CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS STAFF
Alan Hoffman
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RAND Office of Congressional Relations
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