Samuel Peterson

Samuel Peterson
Policy Researcher; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Santa Monica Office

Education

Ph.D. in criminal justice, University of Cincinnati

Media Resources

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Overview

Samuel (Sam) Peterson is a policy researcher at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He has broad interests in topics within and outside of criminal justice. His most recent research includes estimating state-level household firearm ownership, estimating state-level hospitalizations for gunshot injury, evaluating NYPD's Neighborhood Policing philosophy, evaluating police-led diversion efforts, a tabletop exercise to improve police-community relations, research to understand persistent neighborhood violence, and research to understand the formation and impact of subgroups (cliques) within the Los Angeles County Sheriffs department. 

Peterson also has prior research experience in gun violence prevention, sexual assault at American colleges and universities, school-based victimization among adolescents, and substance use within adolescent social networks. His applied research experience includes working with a variety of criminal justice and community stakeholders. Peterson completed his Ph.D. in criminal justice at the University of Cincinnati. 

Recent Projects

  • Understanding Subgroups Within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
  • Finding a Broadly Practical Approach for Regulating the Use of Facial Recognition by Law Enforcement
  • Creating a Tabletop Exercise for Police-Community Relations
  • Evaluation of NYPD's Neighborhood Policing Philosophy
  • Gun Policy in America

Selected Publications

Peterson, Samuel, Dionne Barnes-Proby, Kathryn E. Bouskill, Lois M. Davis, Matthew L. Mizel, Beverly A. Weidmer, Isabel Leamon, Alexandra Mendoza-Graf, Matt Strawn, Joshua Snoke, and Thomas Edward Goode, Understanding Subgroups Within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department: Community and Department Perceptions with Recommendations for Change, RAND Corporation (RR-A616-1), 2021

Labriola, Melissa M., Samuel Peterson, Jirka Taylor, Danielle Sobol, Jessica Reichert, Jon Ross, Jac Charlier, and Sophia Juarez, A Multi-Site Evaluation of Law Enforcement Deflection in the United States, RAND Corporation (RR-A2491-1), 2023

Peterson, Samuel, Brian A. Jackson, Dulani Woods, and Elina Treyger, Finding a Broadly Practical Approach for Regulating the Use of Facial Recognition by Law Enforcement, RAND Corporation (RR-A2249-1), 2023

Russo, Joe, Samuel Peterson, Michael J. D. Vermeer, Dulani Woods, and Brian A. Jackson, Improving Employment Outcomes for the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Returning Citizens, RAND Corporation (RR-A108-18), 2023

Honors & Awards

  • Silver Medal Award, RAND

Publications