Evidence-Based and Practice-Based Research

The Center鈥檚 contribution to the field is its unique blend of evidence-based and practice-based police research.

Evidence-based police research is the use of rigorous methods (i.e., experiments and quasi-experiments) to test the effectiveness of strategies based on theoretical constructs. The results of which inform 鈥渨hat works鈥� in crime prevention and police practice.
Practice-based police research is complementary and focuses on the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based strategies in everyday police practice. That is, this avenue of research helps determine 鈥渉ow to make it work鈥� within the police organizational structure and operations.

Consequently, by incorporating both approaches in a variety of ways, the Center is able to create knowledge from original research as well as 鈥渢ranslate鈥� research to practice through publications, presentations, training, and technical assistance.

Evidence-Based Police Research Projects

Evidence-based research, and more specifically, 鈥渆vidence-based policing鈥� is a term coined by Sherman in 1998, 鈥渋s the use of the best available research on the outcomes of police work to implement guidelines and evaluate agencies, units, and officers.鈥� Sherman stressed the importance of creating knowledge through experimental research in which the research is based in theory and examines different strategies and/or solutions that improve current practices. The following are evidence-based research projects that have been conducted by members of the Center.

Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant: Implementation of Advanced Intelligence and Analytical Technology to Enhance Communication and Proactive Evidence-Based Response to Shooting Incidents in Kent County, Delaware

This grant is a three-year (2020-2023), $870,000 project awarded to the Delaware State Police (DSP), a Division of the State of Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security. DSP is a statewide full service law enforcement agency, which also provides service to smaller municipalities by providing technology and resources to assist with investigations and responses to crime problems. DSP assists with investigative and analytical support to all police agencies in Delaware. Currently, DSP is experiencing a significant increase of shooting incidents that is driven by gang violence influencing rural Kent County, Delaware. The current shooting problem started in 2019 and has continued through 2020. This project gives DSP an opportunity to upgrade the current criminal intelligence system into a system that has the ability to provide crime analysis, entity analytics and resolution through artificial intelligence. This will enhance the current capabilities of its Intelligence System that is available to all of its local, state, and federal partners. DSP has strong partnerships with the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office District of Delaware and local and federal law enforcement agencies in and around Delaware. This technology will benefit Project Guardian by providing analytics to combat crime and enhance information sharing. Since 2015, DSP has an established research partnership with Drs. Santos, Co-Directors of the Center for Police Practice, Policy and Research of 澳门老奇人论坛, and DSP and will continue that partnership to guide the implementation of evidence-based policing strategies and evaluate the project. The goal is to address the shooting problem in Kent County, as well as provide an example that will benefit all law enforcement across the State of Delaware resulting in a more efficient response to combatting all crimes.

Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant: Implementation of Information Sharing Technology for Offender-Focused Strategies in the Roanoke Valley, VA

The grant is a multi-year (2019-2023), $500,000 partnership that involves 澳门老奇人论坛, the City of Roanoke Police Department, and .

The project will implement specific innovative technology from the SmartForce鈩� Corporation to facilitate and support proactive evidence-based offender-focused strategies to address violent and gun-related crime in Roanoke. The purpose is use technology to systematize and sustain a collective response to reduce violent crime and make the community safer.

A Blind Randomized Controlled Trial to Test Tactical Police Responses to Micro-Time Hot Spots for Residential Burglaries and Thefts from Vehicles

A micro-time hot spot, also called a "crime pattern" in crime analysis practice, is the emergence of several closely-related crimes within a few minutes travel distance from one another (i.e., micro-place) that occurs within one to two weeks (i.e., micro-time)鈥攁 crime 鈥渇lare up.鈥� Once a micro-time hot spot appears, it can last for several weeks or months before running its course, cooling down, and ending on its own. The concept of the flare up is routed in the near repeat phenomenon as it is a spatial cluster of near repeats occurring over a relatively short period of time. In this study, the partially blocked random controlled trial, was conducted by Dr. Rachel Santos (external research partner) and Dr. Roberto Santos (police commander and internal project director) with the Port St. Lucie (FL) Police Department "pro bono,鈥� and only the chief, assistant chiefs, and crime analysts were aware that the experiment was taking place.

The study tested the effectiveness of directed patrol deployed in micro-time hot spots over several weeks, which included patrolling areas in vehicles making subject and vehicle stops as well as contacting citizens with crime prevention information. The goal of the response was to prevent crime from continuing in the micro-time hot spot and causing it to 鈥渃ool down鈥� sooner than it would without response. The research occurred within the context of the agency's everyday crime reduction efforts, so is a test of realistic police practice. That is, the police department had identified and responded to micro-time hot spots systematically for many years. For this study, as crime analysts identified micro-time hot spots on a daily basis, the micro-time hot spots were randomly assigned for response "on the fly." Those not selected for response were not disseminated so that the police personnel had no knowledge they had occurred. A previously established system of response and accountability in the agency ensured consistent and thorough responses throughout the 2-year treatment period. Preliminary findings of crime that occurred after 15, 30, 60, and 90 days show that the response was effective. The following is the peer-reviewed publication resulting from the research.

Santos, R. B., & Santos, R. G. (2020). Proactive police response in property crime micro-time hot spots: Results from a partially-blocked blind random controlled trial. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 1-21. DOI 10.1007/s10940-020-09456-8.

Abstract: Objectives: To evaluate the impact of proactive police response on residential burglary and theft from vehicle in micro-time hot spots as well as whether spatial displacement occurs. Methods: Over 2 years, 114 treatment and 103 control micro-time hot spots were assigned to groups using 鈥渢rickle-flow鈥� randomization. Responses were implemented as part of the police department鈥檚 established practices, and micro-time hot spots were blocked based on their temporal proximity鈥攕prees or ongoing. The study was blinded and tested proactive patrol versus a no-dosage control condition. Results: The department responded to each micro-time hot spot with, on average, five 20-min responses per day for 19 days. Eighty percent of the response time involved conducting directed patrol without encountering suspicious activity. Results show that treatment micro-time hot spots had significantly fewer crimes after 15 days (79%) and 30 days (74%). Treatment effects were greatest in the first 15 days (1.15) followed by days 16鈥�30 (.83). Conclusions: The study examines a real-world strategy institutionalized into the day-today operations of a police department. The largest impact on crime was seen during response. In addition, crime reductions that occurred while micro-time hot spots received response held for 2 months after the responses end with no evidence of spatial displacement. Our findings reveal larger effect sizes than most hot spots policing studies which may be due to how the unit of analysis was defined, the systematic nature of the response implementation, and the use of a no-dosage, blind control condition.

A Partially Blocked Randomized Controlled Trial of Offender-Focused Police Intervention in Residential Burglary and Theft from Vehicle Hot Spots

Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Dr. Rachel Santos partnered with the Port St. Lucie, FL Police Department and Dr. Roberto Santos (police commander and internal project director) to conduct a partially-blocked random controlled trial testing the effects of an offender-based intervention in property crime hot spots. The following are peer-reviewed publications resulting from the research.

Santos, R.B., & Santos, R.G. (2016). Offender-focused police strategies in residential burglary and theft from vehicle hot spots: A partially blocked randomized controlled trial. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 12(3), 373鈥�402.

Abstract: To test an offender-focused police intervention in residential burglary and residential theft from vehicle hot spots and its effect on crime, arrests, and offender recidivism. The intervention was prevention-focused, in which detectives contacted offenders and their families at their homes to discourage criminal activity. The study was a partially blocked, randomized controlled field experiment in 24 treatment and 24 control hot spots in one suburban city with average crime levels. Negative binomial and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression were used to test the effect of the presence of intervention and its dosage on crime and offender recidivism, and examination of average and standardized treatment effects were conducted. The analyses of the hot spot impact measures did not reveal significant results to indicate that the treatment had an effect on crime or arrest counts, or on repeat arrests of the targeted or non-targeted offenders living in the hot spots. However, the relationships, while not significant, were in a promising direction. The collective findings from all four impact measures suggest that the intervention may have had some influence on the targeted offenders, as well as in the treatment hot spots. So, while the experimental results did not show an impact, they are promising. Limitations include large hot spots, the low case number, low base rates, and inadequate impact measures. Suggestions are provided for police agencies and researchers for implementing preventive offender-focused strategies and conducting studies in suburban cities.

Santos, R.G. (2018). Offender and family member perceptions after an offender-focused hot spots policing strategy. Policing: An International Journal, 41(3), 386-400.

Abstract: This article examines how both offenders and their families perceived their interactions with police and whether there were negative consequences of the offender-focused strategy that was implemented in a hot spots policing experiment. Data from interviews of 32 offenders and 29 family members are examined qualitatively for themes to evaluate how the strategy was carried out and how it impacted offenders鈥� behavior and both groups鈥� perceptions of the police detectives and the strategy overall. The results show that there was overwhelming agreement by both offenders and their family members that the police detectives who contacted them treated both groups with dignity and respect. After the contact was over, the offenders appeared to commit less crime, followed probation more closely, and had positive feelings about what the police detectives were trying to do. Improvement of the offenders鈥� relationships with their families was an unanticipated finding indicating a diffusion of benefits of the strategy. The results suggest that when procedural justice principles are used in an offender-focused police intervention, positive impact can be achieved without negative consequences. This is a rare example of an in-depth evaluation of the perceptions of offenders and family members contacted through a hot spots policing offender-focused strategy.

Quasi-Experimental Test of Tactical Police Responses to Micro-Time Hot Spots for Residential Burglaries and Thefts from Vehicles

Through a quasi-experimental design this study tested the effectiveness of directed patrol deployed in micro-time hot spots responded to by a police department over five years. The following are peer-reviewed publications resulting from the research. The National Institute of Justice has recently published a in which they established that based on these results, police response to micro-time hot spots is effective.

Santos, R.G. & Santos, R.B. (2015). An ex post facto evaluation of tactical police response in residential theft from vehicle micro-time hot spots. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 31(4), 679-698.

Abstract: To evaluate with an ex post facto quasi-experimental design the impact of tactical police response on residential theft from vehicle crime in micro-time hot spots as well as whether spatial displacement occurs. The evaluation uses 5 years of data from one police agency that responded to micro-time hot spots as part of its normal crime reduction efforts. To determine the experimental comparison group, propensity scores were computed using logistic regression. Cases were matched using greedy 1鈥�1 matching with a caliper of 0.10 of the standard deviation of the logit of the propensity score and resulted in 86 pairs. t Tests were used to examine the effect of the treatment and whether spatial displacement of crime occurred as a result. Results showed that when police responded with about seven responses per day and for between 2 and 3 weeks, there was nearly a 20 % reduction in residential theft from vehicle crimes, and the micro-time hot spots with response did not last as long as those that did not. Results also showed no spatial displacement of crime as a result of the response. This evaluation is first to examine tactical police strategies for property crimes occurring at micro-places in micro-time. Findings support the hypothesis that micro-time hot spots are less severe and 鈥樷€榗ool off鈥欌€� more quickly after a response. Thus, police should consider responding to property crime occurring in micro-places at a smaller temporal unit. Future research should further explore this unit of police response to corroborate these results.

Santos, R.G., & Santos, R.B. (2015). Practice-based research: Ex post facto evaluation of evidence-based police practices implemented in residential burglary micro-time hot spots. Evaluation Review, 39(5), 451-479.

Abstract: Police agencies around the country are implementing various strategies to reduce crime in their communities that need to be evaluated. These strategies are often based on systematic crime analysis and are focused on crime occurring in hot spots, which are areas of disproportionate amounts of crime. This article takes a practice-based research approach to evaluate whether evidence-based police strategies implemented by one police agency as its normal everyday crime reduction practice are effective in reducing residential burglary incidents in micro-time hot spots. A quasi-experimental ex post facto design is employed using 5 years of data from one police agency that has institutionalized the identification and response to micro-time hot spots into its day-to-day practices. Propensity score matching is used to match 54 pairs of micro-time hot spots using logistic regression to compute the propensity scores and greedy 1 to 1 matching with a caliper width of 0.5 of the standard deviation of the logit to match the cases. Independent t-tests show that tactical police response to micro-time hot spots can lead to significant reductions in residential burglary incidents without the spatial displacement of crime. Tactical police responses that seek to achieve short-term reductions in crime appear to be well suited for micro-time hot spots since they are, by nature, short term. Importantly, the conclusions are based on the evaluation of an agency鈥檚 systematic implementation of the evidence-based practices as its normal practices and not for the sake of research.

Santos, R.B., & Santos, R.G. (2015). Examination of police dosage in residential burglary and theft from vehicle micro-time hots spots. Crime Science, 4(27), 1-12.

Abstract: Rooted in the near repeat phenomenon and police crime analysis, a crime 鈥渇lare up鈥� or micro-time hot spot is the emergence of several closely-related crimes within a few minutes鈥� travel distance from one another. It occurs within 1鈥�2 weeks and can last several weeks or months before running its course and cooling down. A micro-time hot spot is a type of crime pattern identified by police crime analysts to guide short-term police response, particularly directed patrol. Published work by these authors has examined a subset of the 5 years of data to test the effectiveness of the Port St. Lucie, FL Police Department鈥檚 response to micro-time hot spots. Those quasi-experimental studies found separately for burglary and theft from vehicle occurring in residential areas that micro-time hot spots receiving police response had nearly 20 % fewer subsequent crimes than those receiving no police response. This study examines all 121 residential burglary and 163 residential theft from vehicle micro-time hot spots receiving police response to understand how two factors of police response dosage (i.e., the amount of directed patrol and how quickly directed patrol is deployed) are related to the amount of subsequent crime. Separate negative binominal analyses for each crime type showed that more directed patrols per day were related to lower levels of subsequent crime for both crime types, and a quicker response was related to lower crime for residential theft from vehicle. That is, the more and quicker the response, the quicker resolution and cooling off of the micro-time hot spot. The findings were stronger for residential burglary, and a visual examination of first standard deviation confident intervals of directed patrol rate by crime suggests that between four and six directed patrols per day in residential burglary micro-time hot spots was optimal. Although the data are from one police agency, these promising results support future research and provide guidance to police for implementing directed patrol in short-term hot spots of property crime.

Integrating Crime Analysis into Patrol Work within a Community Policing Context

With funding from the Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services, Dr. Rachel Santos partnered with Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to assess the role of crime analysis within the patrol function at a national level and make recommendations for police practice. The project included 1) a national police department survey of patrol commanders and crime analysts on crime analysis and crime reduction, 2) focus groups of police personnel at various levels (i.e., officers, supervisors, managers, executive, and crime analysts), 3) three in depth site visits of police agencies. The following are peer-reviewed publications resulting from the research.

Smith, J., Santos, R.B., & Santos, R.G. (2018). Evidence-based policing and the stratified integration of crime analysis in police agencies: National survey results. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 12 (3), 303鈥�315.

Abstract: Using data collected from a 2008 national survey of over 1,000 agencies, this paper presents findings about the stratified integration of crime analysis into police patrol operations. Relationships are examined among stratified crime analysis integration, and the agency鈥檚 commitment to crime analysis, evidence-based crime reduction approaches, and accountability mechanisms. The analysis shows that there is no connection between patrol commanders鈥� commitment to crime analysis or prioritization of evidence-based practices and the appropriate use of crime analysis by line-level officers, first-line supervisors, and managers (i.e., stratified crime analysis integration). The analysis does show that having a designated crime analyst and prioritizing accountability for crime reduction at all ranks were strong predictors of stratified crime analysis integration. The findings suggest that the presence of a primary analyst and of accountability mechanisms is more than agencies simply 鈥榮aying鈥� that evidence-based practices or crime analysis is important.

Santos, R.B., & Taylor, B. (2014). The integration of crime analysis into police patrol work: results from a national survey of law enforcement. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, 37(3), 501-520.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine national survey data of police agencies in the USA to explore the current state of crime analysis integration to patrol crime reduction work. The data examined in this paper are from a national quantitative survey which sought to understand how crime analysis results are used by officers as well as higher ranking personnel in the patrol division and what types of strategies are implemented using crime analysis. The findings show that the routine use of crime analysis is not well integrated. Despite the low integration, however, some differenceswere found.Management uses crime analysis themost overall, but officers and first-line supervisors use tactical crime analysis more routinely than management, where management personnel use evaluation most routinely. Tactical crime analysis is used most often for directed patrol, strategic for both directed patrol and general information, and evaluation for both general information and crime prevention. Analysis of using analysis proactively shows that agencies use tactical crime analysis most proactively, followed by the strategic crime analysis, then evaluation. The study relies on self-report surveys, so the results may suffer from some of the general limitations of self-reports. Also, the study resulted in a lower response rate than surveys of police agencies typically achieve. Although responding and non-responding agencies were comparable in terms of population size, number of officers, and region of the country,the response rate was about 55 percent. However, it is a possibility based on the analysis results that non-responses may reflect a disinterest in the topic or the lack of integration of crime analysis. This is the first national survey that focussed specifically on crime analysis integration in patrol work for crime reduction. The value of the results presented here are in the description of the current state of crime analysis integration in the USA which has not been investigated in such depth before and the identifications of gaps in both research in practice.

Taylor, B. & Boba, R. (2011). Washington DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Police Practice-Based Research Projects

Practice-based research is a process that complements random controlled trials (i.e., experimental research) and is based on good quality data collected from routine police practice that when evaluated can provide direction for implementation of programs and organizational treatments. There are several methods that can accomplish a practice-based research approach.

Researchers actively assist in developing processes and mechanisms for implementation, provide technical assistance, and then conduct a process evaluation that informs both the police department and the field.
Police and researchers work collaboratively on demonstration and field application projects.
Police departments that have identified an effective strategy enlist researchers to conduct an evaluation of the process and impact of its implementation.

The following are practice-based police research projects that have been conducted by members of the Center.

Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services Grant: Danville, VA Police Department Case Study: Understanding the Effects of Stratified Policing and Community Engagement on Crime, the Community, and the Police Organization

In recent years, police have become more disengaged from conducting proactive crime reduction and engaging the community. There is a need now, more than ever, to provide a clear path for how police, city officials, and communities can reengage to improve safety in their communities. Historically, the City of Danville, VA experienced some of the highest crime and poverty in Virginia. For decades, there was distrust among city officials, the community, and police where improvement would have seemed impossible. Starting in 2019, the Danville Police Department (DPD) implemented a stratified proactive community engagement and crime reduction model (Stratified Policing). Comparing the three year periods of 2016-18 to 2019-21, the city has seen a 51% decrease in violent and 23% in property crime ().

Additionally, there have been significant improvements in how city officials and the community trust/partner with DPD to solve community harms. This has resulted in officer鈥檚 improved morale and willingness to engage with the community and proactive crime reduction.

This project fulfills the need to build trust/legitimacy with the community and enhance DPD鈥檚 current efforts of transparency with its community by examining and understanding the nuances of how DPD was able to decrease crime and improve community collaboration/trust. DPD will work with Drs. Roberto and Rachel Santos (Center for Police Practice, Policy and Research, 澳门老奇人论坛 in Radford, VA), to conduct a comprehensive case study to understand the effects of DPD鈥檚 efforts on its relationship with the community and city officials, its organizational culture, and crime and disorder.

Using a mixed-methods approach for data collection from a wide array of individuals and groups within the community, local government officials, criminal justice partners, DPD personnel at all ranks, and official crime data, the project seeks to dissect and understand how DPD was successful and identify ways that DPD can refine, adjust, and improve its practices to better institutionalize its proactive community engagement and crime reduction efforts. For the broader law enforcement community, the case study results will offer specific community-based and crime reduction examples based on DPD experiences as well as considerations, lessons learned, and recommendations for implementation and sustainability. The goal is to provide guidance for other agencies and their communities on implementing an organizational model that brings together proactive community engagement and evidence-based crime reduction. The audience who will find the case study most helpful are police leaders, city managers, mayors, and communities who are struggling to systematically implement proactive crime reduction, while at the same time, are facing high levels of crime and trying to build relationships with their communities where there is a lack of trust.

Publication forthcoming, late 2024.

Office of Community-Oriented Policing Grant: Translating Best Practices: Developing a Framework for Institutionalizing Community Policing by Rank

Publication (2024):

Abstract: This guide is intended to present police leaders with a framework for institutionalizing community engagement strategies to improve their personnel鈥檚 willingness to increase proactive, positive interactions with the community. It draws on the discussions from law enforcement focus groups at every rank from 14 police departments, sheriff鈥檚 offices, and state police organizations, synthesizing the results into three themes: (1) defining expectations for proactive community engagement (2) engaging leaders in proactive community engagement and (3) establishing proactive community engagement accountability. To illustrate how these concepts can be applied, the final section presents how a specific proactive community engagement strategy鈥攃ommunity walks鈥攃an be holistically implemented in a neighborhood experiencing high victimization.

Project Description: The Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services, 鈥淐ommunity Policing Development,鈥� grant is a project in which the Center for Police Practice, Policy and Research is partnering with 13 police departments and sheriff鈥檚 offices. The strength of community policing lies is in its flexibility and diverse set of strategies, but this also creates ambiguity in how community policing should be implemented throughout a police department and by whom. For community policing to be normalized in an agency, it must not be carried out by a specialist squad or relegated for only some individuals at the officer level, but must be an integral part of the organizational mission and carried out at each level of the organization. The goal of this project is to produce practice-based deliverables that present an organizational approach in which all ranks in the police department are engaged in community policing on a daily basis. The Center for Police Practice, Policy and Research is partnering with 13 community-focused police departments and sheriff鈥檚 offices to solicit best practices. The project will result in a framework and toolkit to assist agencies in institutionalizing community policing throughout their organizations.

Office of Community-Oriented Policing Grant: Proactive Police Response to Domestic-Related Repeat Call For Service

Publication (2023):

In 2018, the Danville, VA Police Department (DPD) implemented a Stratified Policing strategy to combat one of the highest rates of violent crime in Virginia. Working with the creators of the strategy, Drs. Santos, professors from 澳门老奇人论坛, DPD was able to cut violent crime by half in 2019. With grant funding from the Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services, DPD and 澳门老奇人论坛鈥檚 Center for Police Practice, Policy and Research partnered again to apply the successful model to domestic-related repeat calls for service. The project sought to identify, track, and address repeat incidents at residences by applying police and community resources to prevent or limit disputes from escalating. Using the problem-solving process, sergeants were systematically assigned responsibility for repeat incidents and held accountable for implementing responses and resolution of the problem. Weekly reports were created to identify the locations, track responses, and monitor progress toward resolution. Weekly meetings were conducted to evaluate and adjust strategies until the domestic situation is resolved and the location/persons are no longer an issue. Community-level domestic-related resources were utilized to support the process and supplement the police response. The goals are to prevent the escalation of violence and increase victim safety in Danville while at the same time create a replicable process and tools that can be implemented and sustained in any jurisdiction at a minimal cost.

News article about the project:

Using Drones for CPTED Analysis in City of Radford Public Schools

Dr. 鈥�Shawn Smith, Center Faculty Fellow, is working with Corporal Eric Martin, school liaison and oversight officer of School Resource Officers (SROs) for the Radford City Police Department (RCPD), and Radford City Public Schools (RCPS) to perform CPTED/Drone analysis of school facilities throughout the Radford City Public schools system in the interest of better fortification against and response to mass shooting threats. Dr. Smith is overseeing the use of the aerial unmanned drone and gimbal 360 degree camera technologies, recently acquired by the Criminal Justice Department at 澳门老奇人论坛, to complete a thorough examination of the layout (both internal and external) of each school in the RCPS district. The initial assessment was performed for Belle Heth Elementary School, located on George St. in Radford, Va.

The CPTED-centered analysis and active shooter response is about to enter its second phase. Partnering with Dr. Skip Watts (Radford Department of Geology), they have created 3-D renderings that were taken from drone scans of the schools. The models are usable now for officer training, and Corporal Martin鈥� is eager to move forward to the next phase. Some results of this work include plans for redesigning one of the school's front entrance based upon the recommendations offered in the initial report.

Matthews, NC Police Department: Organizational Assessment for Stratified Policing Implementation

With funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance , Drs. Santos partnered with Chief Clark Pennington and the Matthews, NC Police Department (MPD) to implement Stratified Policing. To understand the policies, practices, and organizational culture of MPD, an organizational assessment was conducted which included an examination of data and technology capabilities, crime analysis products, problem-solving processes, crime reduction policies and procedures, as well as the organizational structure and unit/personnel functions. An organizational survey was conducted for officers and above about current crime reduction and problem solving practices, communication, leadership, accountability, and transparency. Dr. Santos spent two days onsite doing interviews and focus groups. The deliverable for this work was a report with specific recommendations for tailoring Stratified Policing to MPD's organizational structure and implementing the proactive crime reduction strategies best suited for MPD.

Implementation of Evidence-Based Policing Strategies and Crime Analysis in Rural Police Departments in Southwest Virginia

With funding from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, the Center provided evidence-based policing and crime analysis education and Stratified Policing implementation assistance to small, rural police agencies in Southwest Virginia. Through a partnership with the Galax, VA Police Department, Drs. Rachel and Roberto Santos delivered a chief鈥檚 seminar and multiple training sessions for over 100 police officers at all ranks from more than 15 departments. They worked closely with four police departments in a workshop to develop and implementation plan for Stratified Policing and subsequently provided in depth assistance to guide the agencies in developing a crime reduction policy, crime analysis products, and accountability meetings.

See this news article for more information on the project:

Walton County, FL Sheriff鈥檚 Office: Evaluation and Sustainability of Stratified Policing

Since 2014, Drs. Roberto and Rachel Santos have partnered with the Walton County, FL Sheriff鈥檚 Office to implement, evaluate, and sustain Stratified Policing and evidence-based practices. The partnership has included a comprehensive organizational assessment, recommendations for implementation of Stratified Policing, training for sworn personnel and advanced training for crime analysis personnel. Drs. Santos continue to work with and provide assistance to the agency. The following is a peer reviewed academic article with results from the survey that examine organizational change in the Sheriff's Office.

Santos, R.G. (2018) Police organizational change after implementing crime analysis and evidence-based strategies through stratified policing. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 12(3), 288-302.

Abstract: This article presents the findings from an evaluation of one sheriff鈥檚 office in Florida. Evidence-based policing strategies and crime analysis were implemented within the agency through 鈥榮tratified policing鈥�, an organizational framework to facilitate the systematic implementation of evidence-based practices through problem solving, analysis, and accountability. Crime analysis is an integral part of stratified policing and is the foundation on which all evidence-based practices are implemented and evaluated within the approach. While the agency saw crime reductions after implementation of stratified policing, when implementing and sustaining new practices throughout a police organization, it is important to evaluate components of organizational change. Thus, two waves of the same anonymous online survey were administered to agency personnel to obtain their perceptions about leadership, accountability, communication, and transparency occurring within the agency鈥檚 crime reduction efforts as well as the frequency of proactive crime reduction activities. Comparisons of the mean results for the two waves (i.e. baseline and one year of implementation) show significant increases in the amount of crime reduction activities in addition to significant improvements in leadership, accountability, communication, and transparency. Personnel were also more satisfied with the agency鈥檚 crime reduction efforts. The findings support stratified policing as one way to institutionalize crime analysis and evidence-based crime reduction and make important changes to sustain practices within an agency鈥檚 crime reduction culture.

See this article on the agency鈥檚 implementation of Stratified Policing:

Bureau of Justice Assistance Crime Analysis Capabilities Project

Dr. Rachel Santos served a subject matter expert for the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, Bureau of Justice Assistance for the 鈥淐rime Analysis Capability Project鈥� funded by Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). She lead a team that oversaw the project design and provided technical assistance for the implementation of three projects to implement crime analysis into a medium sized-agency, a real time crime center, and for a regional initiative. In addition, she helped to monitored each project鈥檚 progress and lead the development of a based on the results of the agencies鈥� implementation and crime analysis best practices for BJA.

Greensboro, NC: Stratified Policing, Community Engagement, and Resource Allocation

Dr. Rachel Santos partnered with the Greensboro, NC Police Department and conducted training of sworn and crime analysis personnel, an organizational assessment and in depth assistance with the implementation of Stratified Policing, community engagement, and resource allocation. The work was funded by the agency as well as a grant from the Office of Community Policing Services.

Increasing Analytical Capacity: Training for the Law Enforcement Executive

Drs. Rachel and Roberto Santos partnered with the National Police Foundation in Washington D.C. and the International Association of Crime Analysts to develop curriculum and system for training delivery to law enforcement executives on proactive policing strategies for crime reduction and crime analysis. Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a team of trainers including a police leader, researcher, and crime analyst conducted training around the country to groups of police agency leaders at regional sites as well as at the Southern Policing Institute at the University of Louisville.

Implementing CompStat and Crime Analysis in Maryland Police Agencies

With over $1 million in funding from the State of Maryland Governor鈥檚 Office of Crime Control and Prevention, Drs. Rachel and Roberto Santos partnered with the University of Maryland, Institute for Governmental Service and Research, to assist 100 agencies throughout the State of Maryland in their implementation of CompStat, Crime Analysis, and Stratified Policing. A comprehensive framework for delivery of training and technical assistance was developed which included 1) a best practices seminar for police executives, 2) a needs assessment process that resulted in specific recommendations for implementation, 3) training for sworn and crime analysis personnel, 4) a workshop for implementation plan development, and 4) in depth on site assistance. The initiative succeeded in training most of the agencies and hundreds of their sworn and crime analysis personnel, conducting over 30 assessments, and providing in depth assistance to a number of agencies for the successful implementation of Stratified Policing.

Port St. Lucie, FL Police Department: Institutionalizing Problem Solving, Analysis, and Accountability

This project, funded by several grants from the Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services, began in 2004 with the goal of institutionalizing problem solving, crime analysis, and accountability into the Port St. Lucie, FL Police Department. Dr. Rachel [Boba] Santos worked closely with the agency as a research partner to develop standard crime analysis products, policies, and practices for an organizational system to support proactive crime reduction. Funding also supported the evaluation of the implementation and the publication of two guidebooks to support other agencies in implementing the organizational model. Dr. Roberto Santos played a key role in the development and implementation of the strategies in the police department and in writing of the publications and research articles. 鈥淪tratified Policing鈥� was born from this initial work with the Port St. Lucie, FL Police Department. It has been enhanced over the years by Drs. Santos and implemented by many other agencies around the country and internationally. The work received the first ever International Association of Chiefs of Police Law Enforcement-Research Award in 2008 and the following are publications that were a direct result of this partnership:

Santos, R.B. (2013). Implementation of a police organizational model for crime reduction. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, 32(2) 295-311.

Santos, R.B., & Santos, R.G. (2012). The role of leadership in implementing a police organizational model for crime reduction and accountability. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 6(4), 344-353.

Boba [Santos], R., & Santos, R.G. (2011). Washington DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Santos, R.G. (February 2011). FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.

Boba [Santos], R. (2011). Washington DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Boba [Santos], R. (2010). A practice-based evidence approach in Florida. Police Practice and Research, Special Issue: The Evolving Relationship between Police Research and Police Practice, 11 (2), 122-128.

Boba [Santos], R., & Crank, J. (2008). Institutionalizing problem-oriented policing: Rethinking problem identification, analysis, and accountability. Police Practice and Research, 9(5), 379-393.

Boba [Santos], R., & Santos, R.G. (2007). Single-family home construction site theft: A crime prevention case study. International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 3(3), 217-236.

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