Skip to page content

Police-Community Relations

Racial Equity
blog
Equity in Research, North Korean Instability, Traffic Stops: RAND Weekly Recap
Jul 9, 2021
This weekly recap focuses on how RAND applies an equity lens to research, instability in North Korea, what police think about traffic stops, and more.
Read More »

Police-Community Relations
commentary
Stop, Start or Continue? A National Survey of the Police About Traffic Stops
Bob Harrison
Jun 30, 2021
Police1
Traffic stops are the most prevalent way police have contact with the public. As research continues to show widespread racial disparities of those stopped, it is increasingly seen as a practice that, if ended, would serve the cause of social justice. Should the police continue to conduct traffic stops? Police1 conducted a survey of officers to find out what they thought.
Read More »
Law Enforcement
commentary
Policing in the Post-Floyd Era
Bob Harrison
Apr 30, 2021
Police1
Calls to reform, reimagine, or disband the police can be seen as existential threats. But they present opportunities for progressive change that can work to the advantage of law enforcement.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
essay
Rethinking How Police Respond to Homelessness
Mar 4, 2021
Around one-fifth of people experiencing homelessness have a severe mental health disorder. Almost as many have a substance-use disorder. Police need better policies and community partnerships to help make their response to homelessness safer, more humane, and more effective.
Read More »
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
The Evidence on Kids and COVID-19, China's Use of Big Data, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap
Sep 4, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on what we know (and what we don't) about kids and COVID-19, how China is using big data, the future of telemedicine, and more.
Read More »
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
Voting in a Pandemic, the U.S. Postal Service, Defunding the Police: RAND Weekly Recap
Aug 28, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on Americans' views about voting in the age of COVID-19, what makes the U.S. Postal Service so essential, why some in law enforcement may be open to “defunding the police,” and more.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
Police Officers: This Article Will Make You Better at Combatting Misinformation
John S. Hollywood, Bob Harrison, Miriam Matthews, Richard H. Donohue
Aug 24, 2020
Police1
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.
Read More »
Law Enforcement
commentary
How to Reform Military Gear Transfers to Police
K. Jack Riley @K_Jack_Riley, Aaron C. Davenport
Jul 13, 2020
The Wall Street Journal
Police officers equipped like soldiers have appeared on the streets of American cities amid recent protests over George Floyd's killing. How should lawmakers reform a program that makes use of excess equipment and is popular with police departments, but that also raises substantial concerns about the militarization of policing?
Read More »
Law Enforcement
commentary
How to Transform Policing
John S. Hollywood
Jul 9, 2020
The Hill
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.
Read More »
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
Preparing for a COVID Surge, Reducing Police Violence, Media Literacy in Schools: RAND Weekly Recap
Jul 2, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on helping hospitals prepare for a surge in COVID-19 infections, an approach to reducing police violence, teachers' concerns about students' media literacy, and more.
Read More »
Law Enforcement
commentary
From Warrior to Guardian: A Systems Approach to Reduce Police Violence
James M. Anderson, Bob Harrison
Jul 1, 2020
CalMatters
Personal accountability will always have a role in policing. But the kind of cultural change that is necessary to prevent tragedy is often best tackled by focusing on the system rather than merely blaming the individual officer.
Read More »
Law Enforcement
commentary
Funding—or Defunding—the Police
Priscillia Hunt @PriscilliaHunt
Jul 1, 2020
The RAND Blog
With calls to reduce spending on police, a question becomes by how much? RAND researchers studied the average amount taxpayers spend for police to respond to a reported crime. These estimates are available in a new tool that makes it easy to visualize police costs per crime by state.
Read More »
Law Enforcement
commentary
Defund the LAPD? Garcetti Budget Proposal Takes a Step in That Direction
Alex R. Dopp @alex_dopp_phd, Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Sarah B. Hunter
Jun 30, 2020
The RAND Blog
Calls to “defund the police” have grown common and urgent in the wake of police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and numerous other Black Americans. Research and community activists agree: Public safety can be improved by investing more public dollars in a social safety net, and less in policing and incarceration, in Los Angeles.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
blog
Protests and Police Reform, Facial Recognition, Gun Policies: RAND Weekly Recap
Jun 19, 2020
This weekly recap focuses on protests and police reform after the killing of George Floyd, facial recognition bans, gun policies that likely reduce deaths, and more.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
q&a
Protests and Police Reform: Q&A with RAND Experts
Jun 18, 2020
The RAND Blog
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.
Read More »
Emerging Technologies
commentary
Bans on Facial Recognition Are Naive. Hold Law Enforcement Accountable for Its Abuse
Osonde A. Osoba @OsondeOsoba, Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung
Jun 17, 2020
The Hill
Broader police reform may be difficult to achieve. But in the long run, it will be more effective than any specific technology ban.
Read More »
Law Enforcement
commentary
The Great Reset: Policing in 2030
Bob Harrison
Apr 20, 2020
Police One
Scenarios of possible futures can help planners envision what the future could be, and plan ways to optimize opportunities or mitigate damage. Trends regarding retail operations, hotels, tax revenues, fines and forfeitures, and autonomous vehicles are all happening today. We've imagined how they might extend into the future.
Read More »
Community Health and Well-Being
essay
How Pittsburgh Is Addressing Social and Economic Disparities
Jul 2, 2019
Pittsburgh has been taking a hard look at race, wealth, and opportunity. In partnership with RAND, the city has run and published its numbers on subjects ranging from police contacts to business ownership to graduation rates as part of a commitment to do better.
Read More »
Crime and Violence Prevention
blog
Terrorists, Policing, Cyberattacks: RAND Weekly Recap
Dec 21, 2018
This weekly recap focuses on terrorism recruitment trends, helping police find the right strategies, who should investigate cyberattacks, and more.
Read More »
Crime and Violence Prevention
article
Helping Police Find Better Strategies to Fight Crime
Dec 14, 2018
Which police interventions work best in certain situations, and which don't? A new RAND resource helps police choose the best strategies—and put them to work.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
Body Cameras: Can Police Have Too Much Discretion?
Alex Sutherland
Mar 6, 2017
Policing Insight
Research on body cameras has shown mixed results. Complaints against police officers dropped when cameras were used, but rates of assault against them during arrests were higher. How much discretion the officers used in turning cameras on and off was also a factor.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
How Police Body Cameras Can Improve Behavior, Ease Tension
Alex Sutherland, Barak Ariel
Nov 2, 2016
San Diego Union-Tribune
Body cameras alone can't solve America's problems with policing. But used properly, they can help address mistrust between communities and police.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
Police Body-Worn Cameras: More to It Than What You See
Alex Sutherland
Oct 11, 2016
Policing Insight
Billions of dollars are spent worldwide on the rollout of police body cameras. There is an urgent need to understand whether the cameras help police and the public, and under what conditions they work best.
Read More »
United States
essay
Election 2016: The Domestic Issues
Oct 3, 2016
RAND offers a unique take on the big domestic issues facing America: research that is independent, reliable, and rigorously nonpartisan.
Read More »
Counterterrorism
commentary
A Symbolic Purging of the NYPD Radicalization Report
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins, Richard Daddario
Jan 26, 2016
The Hill
The NYPD's purging of its 2007 report on radicalization may give some satisfaction by symbolically breaking the connection between the current mayoral administration and the NYPD's previous intelligence and investigative efforts. But its significance seems questionable.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
blog
Examining Police, Community Relations
May 8, 2015
The “Strengthening Police-Community Trust” panel held Wednesday at RAND's Pittsburgh offices felt ripped from the headlines, and from the outset the discussion was focused on what the moderator called “the intersection between the community and the police.”
Read More »
commentary
When It Comes to Police-Community Relations, 'Expect What You Inspect'
Jessica Saunders, Laura Patton
Mar 17, 2015
The RAND Blog
As the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing report suggests, local governments should evaluate police on more than crime statistics, and police departments and officers should be held publicly accountable for meeting the community's expectations. Adding new dimensions of performance metrics would help.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
To Serve and Collect? Police Department Funding, Effectiveness, and Legitimacy
Brian A. Jackson
Mar 16, 2015
Newsweek
Like so many issues in public policy, one of the factors shaping the complex policing challenges facing America—and a potential lever to help address them—is simple and unsurprising. That factor is money.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
Want Better Policing? Bring on the Horses
Chris Giacomantonio, Ben Bradford
Mar 10, 2015
Newsweek
Neighbourhood patrols by mounted police in the UK are associated with comparatively higher levels of public trust and confidence than patrols by police on foot. Members of the public engage with mounted police over six times as much as they engage with police on foot.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
Progress After Ferguson? Good Ideas Need Good Implementation
Nelson Lim, Greg Ridgeway
Mar 9, 2015
The RAND Blog
President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing has done a great service by providing dozens of sound recommendations—good ideas that could help avoid another Ferguson. Now we need good implementation to go along with them.
Read More »
Crime and Violence Prevention
commentary
What Research Says About Profiling
Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich
Dec 18, 2014
The RAND Blog
When police take action on the basis of race, creed, or ethnicity it is corrosive, unfair, ineffective, and can stoke the flames of police-community tension. But as we have found from a variety of assessments, law enforcement is best served when it bases its activities on risk, not on personal characteristics.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
Can Big Data Help Build Trust in the Police?
Nelson Lim
Dec 11, 2014
Newsweek
After two controversial grand jury decisions not to indict police in the deaths of unarmed African Americans, a White House task force has 90 days to provide recommendations for promoting accountability among law enforcement agencies to cultivate trust between police and communities. The timeline may seem impossible, but, sadly, these issues are old and the solutions are well known.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
In Ferguson's Wake, How a Data-Driven Approach Can Improve Police-Community Relations
Keith Henry
Sep 16, 2014
The RAND Blog
Community leaders and police departments have a responsibility to their citizens to address questions about their policing practices, such as: What are the most significant areas of concern? How severe are the problems? What are the most effective solutions?
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
Data Key to Tackling Racial Profiling in Ferguson
K. Jack Riley @K_Jack_Riley
Aug 21, 2014
Cincinnati Enquire
Authorities in Ferguson would be wise to consider following Cincinnati's example in dealing with mistrust between police and citizens after the police shooting of a young black man. The city embarked on a thorough examination of racial profiling by its police force and took steps to deal with the perception that bias was influencing the way police officers performed their duties.
Read More »
Crime and Violence Prevention
commentary
Predictive Policing: An Effective Tool, but Not a Crystal Ball
Walter L. Perry, John S. Hollywood
Nov 14, 2013
Government Technology
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.
Read More »
Police-Community Relations
commentary
Police Need to Do a Better Job of Explaining Stop-and-Frisk
K. Jack Riley @K_Jack_Riley, Greg Ridgeway
Dec 6, 2007
New York Daily News
Good relations between the police and the public are a cornerstone of civil society. Everyday interactions between cops and citizens are at the heart of what defines those relations, write Jack Riley and Greg Ridgeway.
Read More »