Police Chief Magazine|Columns|Research in Brief
Research In Brief: DNA and Property Crimes

Many police departments in the United States collect DNA evidence only in violent crime cases. Historically, investigators believed that it would be too expensive to collect biological evidence and perform DNA analysis in burglaries and other high-volume property crimes.

However, the cost of doing DNA analyses is decreasing. The amount of data in state and national DNA databases is increasing, and databases include a growing number of profiles of both violent and nonviolent felons. Based on information in these databases—and other information about criminal careers—researchers have found that many property offenders do not “specialize.” Many also commit violent crimes and drug crimes.

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Research in Brief: U.S. Co-Responder Snapshot

Co-responder models for responding to people in mental distress have become increasingly used in policing in the United States over the last decade. These approaches involve police officers partnering...
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Research in Brief: All Bark and No Empirical Bite

Recent research has placed one of policing’s most venerable tools—the K9 unit—under fresh empirical scrutiny. The findings of a new study run counter to long-held convictions on both sides of th...
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Research in Brief: Large-Scale Organizational Change

The challenge of bringing about substantial organizational change in policing extends beyond reform. Police chiefs are tasked with guiding their agencies through various dynamics, including shifts in ...
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Research in Brief: Examining the “Contagious Fire” Phenomenon in Police Shootings

Are officers more likely to shoot and to fire more rounds when nearby officers open fire at a suspect? This question directly addresses the “contagious fire” phenomenon, which comes into play in p...
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Research in Brief: The National Wellness Survey for Public Safety Personnel

In the United States, nearly 5 million people currently serve as professional or volunteer first responders, including police officers, emergency communication operators (ECOs), correctional officers ...
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Research in Brief: The Philadelphia Predictive Policing Experiment

A few years ago, predictive policing was all the rage. The term appeared with considerable frequency, companies offered expensive software options to police departments, and related sessions at the IA...
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Research in Brief: The Emergence of Tele-Cops

Police agencies are grappling with a significant reduction in personnel. Across the United States, there has been nearly a 5 percent decrease in sworn staff over the past three years.1 Since May 20...
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Research in Brief: Alternative Response Models and Outcomes

Law enforcement and the communities they serve want many of the same things. They want effective responses to crime and other problems. They want policing that promotes safety and trust....
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Research in Brief: Bicycle Patrols for Drug Market Disruption

In 2016, 33 percent of local law enforcement agencies used bicycle patrols on an as-needed basis, with 6 percent utilizing them regularly. This marked a slight increase from 2007 when around 27 per...
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Research in Brief: Charting a Path toward Racial and Gender Diversity among Police Leaders

Calls for a police workforce that is diverse with respect to race, ethnicity, and gender date back many years, and the benefits of diversity are now well supported by empirical research.1 Yet, achi...
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