John S. Hollywood

Senior Operations Researcher; Policing Market Manager

Washington Office

Education

Ph.D. in operations research, MIT; B.S. in applied mathematics, MIT

Overview

John S. Hollywood (he/him) is a senior operations researcher at the RAND Corporation and leads RAND's Center for Quality Policing. He conducts decision science and systems engineering-related research in the areas of criminal justice, homeland security, and information technology. He is an internationally-recognized expert on the use of machine learning in policing and criminal justice technology more broadly, and is commonly interviewed on these topics. His recent projects include leading development of a web resource on promising policing strategies and how to implement them; a technology evaluation at a major active shooting exercise in Grand Central Terminal; leading numerous panels to determine science and technology-related needs for the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security; co-leading multi-year evaluations of predictive policing experiments and real-time crime operations centers; characterizing recent US terror plots and how they have been foiled; identifying and characterizing scientific breakthroughs as evidenced in patent applications; developing tools to predict areas at risk of increased crime using criminal incident and suspicious activity data; and development of methods for fusing disparate reports about potential terrorist threats. He has written opinion pieces on best practices in counterterrorism and law enforcement technology for The Hill, United Press International, CNN, The Charlotte Observer, Crane's Chicago Business, Government Technology, and ORMS Today.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Improving the Understanding of Mass Shooting Plots
Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative
Predictive Policing Experiment Evaluations
Criminal Justice Technology Forecasting Group
Information and Geospatial Technologies Center

Selected Publications

John S. Hollywood, Andrew Lauland, Dulani Woods, Kenneth N. McKay, Yingzi Zhang, Better Policing Toolkit, RAND Corporation (TL-261-RC), 2018

John S. Hollywood, Brian A. Jackson, Annie Brothers, Mark Barrett, Dulani Woods, Michael J. D. Vermeer, A Database of Criminal Justice Needs for Innovation: Requirements for Developers and Funders, RAND Corporation (TL-352-NIJ), 2020

John S. Hollywood, Dulani Woods, Sean E. Goodison, Andrew Lauland, Lisa Wagner, Thomas J. Wilson, Brian A. Jackson, Fostering Innovation in U.S. Law Enforcement: Identifying High-Priority Technology and Other Needs for Improving Law Enforcement Operations and Outcomes, RAND Corporation (RR-1814-NIJ), 2017

John S. Hollywood, Dulani Woods, Andrew Lauland, Brian A. Jackson, Richard Silberglitt, Addressing Emerging Trends to Support the Future of Criminal Justice Findings of the Criminal Justice Technology Forecasting Group, RAND Corporation (RR-1987-BJA), 2018

John S. Hollywood, Dulani Woods, Richard Silberglitt, Brian A. Jackson, Using Future Internet Technologies to Strengthen Criminal Justice, RAND (RR-928-NIJ), 2015

Walter L. Perry, Brian McInnis, Carter C. Price, John S. Hollywood, Predictive Policing: The Role of Crime Forecasting in Law Enforcement Operations, RAND (RR-233-NIJ), 2013

John S. Hollywood, Diane Snyder, Kenneth N. McKay, John Boon, Out of the Ordinary: Finding Hidden Threats by Analyzing Unusual Behavior, RAND (MG-126-RC), 2004

John S. Hollywood, Kenneth N. McKay, Dulani Woods, Denis Agniel, Real-Time Crime Centers in Chicago Evaluation of the Chicago Police Department's Strategic Decision Support Centers, RAND Corporation (RR-3242-BJA), 2020

Honors & Awards

Karl Taylor Compton Prize, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Silver Patrick Henry Award, Military Order of the World Wars

Commentary

Police Officers: This Article Will Make You Better at Combatting Misinformation
By deliberately addressing misinformation, police officers can promote safe and healthy behaviors among those in their communities. The actions they take to combat misinformation and improve protections in their communities are a critical part of the collective campaign to end the pandemic and help people return to their normal lives.
Aug 24, 2020 Police1
How to Transform Policing
The killing of George Floyd and other abuses of power have brought about growing calls to alter how we conduct public safety and, more broadly, criminal justice in America. Evidence shows there is substantial room for improvement.
Jul 9, 2020 The Hill
Protests and Police Reform: Q&A with RAND Experts
After the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis and subsequent nationwide protests, the United States is seeing urgent action to reform policing. Here are insights from four RAND researchers who work on policing and community safety issues.
Jun 18, 2020
No Need to Wait for Congress to Address Mass Shootings
After three mass shootings in the span of a week left 53 wounded and 34 dead, pressure is mounting on Congress to respond with legislation to restrict access to guns and ammunition. But there is no need to wait for new laws. There are steps that can be taken immediately that evidence suggests could help prevent attacks or reduce the death toll from them.
Aug 23, 2019 The Hill
Suppressing Motivation, Legitimacy Can Help Avoid Political Violence
The threat of political violence is real and growing, but there are concrete things that can be done to reduce the risks. Solutions might include repeated statements from leaders that fear of people because of their ethnicity, religion, party, or social grouping is wrong and that violence against them is illegitimate and against American values.
Nov 28, 2018 United Press International
CPD's 'Heat List' and the Dilemma of Predictive Policing
Predictive policing — the use of computer models to identify areas or people at greater risk of being involved in a serious crime — is yielding results for police. How authorities plan to respond to the data is key.
Sep 21, 2016 Crain's Chicago Business
Predictive Policing: An Effective Tool, but Not a Crystal Ball
Predictive policing is not an end-all solution, but rather a tool that must be used in concert with other policing resources as part of a broader anti-crime effort. Used properly, predictive policing can predict the risk of future events, but not the events themselves.
Nov 15, 2013 Government Technology
Can You Help Stop Terror Plots?
Of the plots foiled in the last 10 years on U.S. soil, the would-be terrorists came from many different ethnic groups. We know of no cases where ethnic profiling helped stop a terrorist plot, write John Hollywood and Kevin J. Strom.
May 10, 2011 CNN
Alert Public and Cops Foiled the Most Terrorism Schemes
The recent foiled plot by a naturalized citizen to bomb Washington-area metro stations has national counterterrorism officials warning that the U.S. faces not only risks from abroad, but also homegrown terrorism, write John S. Hollywood and Kevin J. Strom.
Nov 24, 2010 The Charlotte Observer

Publications

Journal Article
Building on Clues: Methods to Help State and Local Law Enforcement Detect and Characterize Terrorist Activity (Final Report)
This project considered the collection and use of suspicious activity reports at the state and local level.
Apr 29, 2021
Journal Article
Effective Game-Based Training for Police Officer Decision-Making: Linking Missions, Skills, and Virtual Content
This paper reports the result of a two-year pilot study that developed a framework for implementing low-cost, game-based, virtual reality technology for training police officers to improve their decision-making under stress.
Mar 12, 2021
Report
Fostering Innovation Across the U.S. Criminal Justice System: Identifying Opportunities to Improve Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Fairness
In this report, the authors draw on panel discussions from the five-year Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative and focus on needs that apply to law enforcement, the courts, and corrections agencies.
Mar 23, 2020
Tool
A Database of Criminal Justice Needs for Innovation: Requirements for Developers and Funders: User Guide
Since 2015, the Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative has published more than 20 reports identifying and prioritizing criminal justice needs for innovation. This product provides a database of all of the needs generated during the Initiative.
Mar 5, 2020
Report
Real-Time Crime Centers in Chicago: Evaluation of the Chicago Police Department's Strategic Decision Support Centers
The Chicago Police Department's Strategic Decision Support Centers (SDSCs) serve as command, control, and communications hubs. In this report, the authors evaluate the processes, organizational structures, and technologies employed in the SDSCs.
Dec 4, 2019
Report
Fostering Innovation to Respond to Top Challenges in Law Enforcement: Proceedings of the National Institute of Justice's 2018 Chiefs' Panel on Priority Law Enforcement Issues and Needs
An expert panel of law enforcement leaders identified challenges facing law enforcement today, and their priorities are presented in this report. Panel members discussed needs for innovation that, if pursued, might help resolve those challenges.
Jul 22, 2019
Report
Using Video Analytics and Sensor Fusion in Law Enforcement: Building a Research Agenda That Includes Business Cases, Privacy and Civil Rights Protections, and Needs for Innovation
Video technology is changing the ways that law enforcement works and interacts with the public. In this report, the authors explore some of the challenges posed and innovation needs in this emerging area.
Dec 28, 2018
Tool
Better Policing Toolkit
This pilot project is intended to provide law enforcement agencies with guidance on new strategies. Its objectives are to synthesize and disseminate information on policing strategies and provide assistance on implementing novel strategies.
Dec 14, 2018
Report
Using Social Media and Social Network Analysis in Law Enforcement: Creating a Research Agenda, Including Business Cases, Protections, and Technology Needs
This report describes the proceedings of an April 2017 expert workshop on the use of social media and social network analysis in law enforcement.
Jul 18, 2018
Research Brief
Emerging Technology Trends and Their Impact on Criminal Justice
The Criminal Justice Technology Forecasting Group discussed near-term effects that major societal trends could have on criminal justice and identified potential responses. This brief summarizes a report of the results of the group's meetings.
Mar 26, 2018
Report
Addressing Emerging Trends to Support the Future of Criminal Justice: Findings of the Criminal Justice Technology Forecasting Group
The Criminal Justice Technology Forecasting Group deliberated on the effects that major societal trends could have on criminal justice in the near future and identified potential responses. This report captures the results of the group's meetings.
Mar 19, 2018
Journal Article
Managing Officer Behavioural Risk Using Early Intervention Systems: Addressing System Design Challenges for Law Enforcement and Corrections Environments
The goal of EIS is to provide the opportunity to identify and intervene for officers that are showing signs of problematic behaviour or performance. In the project described here, we demonstrated expansion of the EIS concept to a corrections context.
Nov 7, 2017
Report
Fostering Innovation in U.S. Law Enforcement: Identifying High-Priority Technology and Other Needs for Improving Law Enforcement Operations and Outcomes
Presents the results a 2016 workshop in which a panel of law enforcement experts identifies high-priority needs for innovation in law enforcement, covering advances in technology, policy, and practice.
Aug 31, 2017
Journal Article
Predictions Put Into Practice: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Chicago's Predictive Policing Pilot
In order to better understand the effects of an individual-focused predictive policing program in the field, this study analyzes a pilot program implemented in Chicago in 2013 aimed at reducing gun violence.
Jul 6, 2017
Report
The Justice Innovation Center: Identifying the Needs and Challenges of Criminal Justice Agencies in Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Areas
The Justice Innovation Center provides information on technology needs, priorities, and solutions for small, rural, tribal, and border criminal justice agencies. This report summarizes the center's first year of efforts.
Nov 16, 2016
Report
Using Future Broadband Communications Technologies to Strengthen Law Enforcement
This report describes the finding of an expert panel convened in September 2015 to discuss how law enforcement can best leverage future communications capabilities anticipated to be fielded over the next 10 to 15 years.
Sep 26, 2016
Report
Fostering Innovation in the U.S. Court System: Identifying High-Priority Technology and Other Needs for Improving Court Operations and Outcomes
The U.S. courts sector is challenged by high caseloads, resource constraints, and other trends, and this report seeks to frame an innovation agenda by identifying and prioritizing potential improvements in technology, policy, and practice.
May 10, 2016
Draft
Terrorist Plots Against the United States: What We Have Really Faced, and How We Might Best Defend Against It
Describes the results of an analysis of 150 completed and foiled terrorist plots against the United States from 1995 to 2012 to better understand the true nature of the terrorist threat faced by the United States.
Mar 8, 2016
Report
Uncertainty-Sensitive Heterogeneous Information Fusion: Assessing Threat with Soft, Uncertain, and Conflicting Evidence
Presents research on methods for heterogeneous information fusion -- combining data that are qualitative, subjective, fuzzy, ambiguous, contradictory, and even deceptive, in order to form a realistic assessment of threat in a counterterrorism context.
Feb 1, 2016
Journal Article
Using Causal Models in Heterogeneous Information Fusion to Detect Terrorists
We describe basic research that uses a causal, uncertainty-sensitive computational model rooted in qualitative social science to fuse disparate pieces of threat information.
Dec 14, 2015
Draft
Causal Models and Exploratory Analysis in Heterogeneous Information Fusion for Detecting Potential Terrorists
Describes research fusing heterogeneous information in an effort eventually to detect terrorists, reduce false alarms, and exonerate those falsely identified.
Nov 17, 2015
Report
Improving Information-Sharing Across Law Enforcement: Why Can't We Know?
This report addresses ways to increase information-sharing among law enforcement's records management systems, computer-aided dispatch systems, and other key regional, state, and federal information repositories.
Sep 4, 2015
Report
Using Future Internet Technologies to Strengthen Criminal Justice
This report discusses the technologies, needs, and overarching themes that were discussed during a RAND-conducted expert panel on the criminal justice community's need to take advantage of (and mitigate threats from) emerging web technologies.
Aug 17, 2015
Report
Visions of Law Enforcement Technology in the Period 2024-2034: Report of the Law Enforcement Futuring Workshop
Describes the results of a July 2014 workshop in which a diverse group of law enforcement practitioners explored future visions of law enforcement and identified and prioritized needs in technology, policy, and practice based on those visions.
Mar 16, 2015
Report
High-Priority Information Technology Needs for Law Enforcement
This study reports on strategic planning activities undertaken to support the National Institute of Justice in the area of information technology, collecting and analyzing data on law enforcement needs, and identifying potential solutions.
Jan 19, 2015
Report
Fostering Innovation in Community and Institutional Corrections: Identifying High-Priority Technology and Other Needs for the U.S. Corrections Sector
The U.S. corrections enterprise is challenged by a variety of demographic, societal, and fiscal trends, and this report seeks to frame an innovation agenda by identifying and prioritizing potential improvements in technology, policy, and practice.
Jan 6, 2015
Report
Police Department Investments in Information Technology Systems: Challenges Assessing Their Payoff
As police departments and other public service providers manage reduced budgets, RAND researchers explored the rationale and evidence supporting the idea that IT investments can increase efficiency in policing, and do so cost-effectively.
Sep 25, 2014
Report
Evaluation of the Shreveport Predictive Policing Experiment
This report documents an assessment of a predictive policing effort that was conducted to evaluate the crime reduction effects of policing guided by statistical predictions.
Jul 1, 2014
Report
Evaluation of National Institute of Justice–Funded Geospatial Software Tools: Technical and Utility Assessments to Improve Tool Development, Dissemination, and Usage
A geospatial software tool-evaluation study assessed 14 recent tool developments funded by the National Institute of Justice. The study integrates input from tool developers and tool users with RAND's independent tool assessments.
Apr 3, 2014
Research Brief
Predicting Suicide Attacks: Characteristics of Bombings in Israel
This brief describes an assessment of how geospatial and sociocultural characteristics may help predict the timing and targets of terrorist attacks.
Nov 7, 2013
Research Brief
Predictive Policing: Forecasting Crime for Law Enforcement
Predictive policing is the use of analytical techniques to prevent crime or solve past crimes. A RAND study assessed some of the most promising technical tools and tactical approaches, offering recommendations for police and developers.
Oct 14, 2013
Report
Predictive Policing: The Role of Crime Forecasting in Law Enforcement Operations
Predictive policing is the use of analytical techniques to help prevent crime, solve past crimes, or identify potential offenders and victims. This guide provides assessments of some of the most promising technical tools and tactical approaches.
Sep 25, 2013
Report
Using EPIC to Find Conflicts, Inconsistencies, and Gaps in Department of Defense Policies
The authors present a framework and methodology to identify both the roles and responsibilities of those implementing Department of Defense policies and potential conflicts, ambiguities, gaps, inconsistencies, and redundancies in those policies.
Jun 20, 2013
Report
Predicting Suicide Attacks: Integrating Spatial, Temporal, and Social Features of Terrorist Attack Targets
Analysis of data on suicide attacks in Israel suggest that assessing sociocultural, political, economic, and demographic factors in addition to the geospatial enhances the ability to predict future suicide attack targets.
Feb 18, 2013
Report
Keeping Law Enforcement Connected: Information Technology Needs from State and Local Agencies
RAND researchers interviewed an extensive sample group to assess criminal justice technology priorities at the state and local levels, as well as the means by which agencies at those levels commonly receive information on technology.
Dec 5, 2012
Report
The Universal Core Information Exchange Framework: Assessing Its Implications for Acquisition Programs
Universal Core (UCore) 2.0 is a DoD and intelligence community information exchange framework. This report reviews UCore pilot programs and identifies issues to be addressed before UCore implementation is mandated for DoD programs.
Jun 1, 2011
Journal Article
Building on Clues: Examining Successes and Failures in Detecting U.S. Terrorist Plots, 1999-2009
This report examines open-source material on 86 foiled and executed terrorist plots against U.S. targets from 1999 to 2009 to determine the types of information and activities that led to (or could have led to) their discovery.
Oct 1, 2010
Report
Navy/OSD Collaborative Review of Acquisition Policy for DoD C3I and Weapon Programs
This briefing reviews current U.S. Department of Defense acquisition and requirement policy for ensuring interoperability and information assurance of command, control, communication, intelligence, and weapon systems.
Nov 12, 2007
Report
Networked Forces in Stability Operations: 101st Airborne Division, 3/2 and 1/25 Stryker Brigades in Northern Iraq
Compares three Army units that conducted stability operations in the same area in Iraq's northern provinces between 2003 and 2005: the 101st Airborne Division (ABD), the 3/2 Stryker brigade combat team (SBCT), and the 1/25 SBCT.
Oct 15, 2007
Research Brief
"Connecting the Dots" in Intelligence: Detecting Terrorist Threats in the Out-of-the-Ordinary
Nov 25, 2005
Report
Network-Centric Operations Case Study: Air-to-Air Combat With and Without Link 16
How much of an increase in mission effectiveness does the Link 16 communications system provide in prosecuting air-to-air combat and how can the observed increase in actual performance be attributed to the advantages of network-centric operations?
Mar 22, 2005
Report
Out of the Ordinary: Finding Hidden Threats by Analyzing Unusual Behavior
Presents a unique approach to selecting and assembling disparate pieces of information to produce a general understanding of a threat.
Oct 14, 2004