On May 10, 2017 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. eastern, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) presented a webinar on “New Findings in SPI.” Since SPI began in 2009, over 50 SPI projects have been funded to test and evaluate evidence-based policing tactics and strategies. This webinar featured four SPI sites—Boston, MA, Cambridge, MA, Los Angeles, CA, and Rochester, NY—that recently completed their evaluation research. Representatives from each site highlighted the Smart Policing process implemented (data analysis, strategy development, and implementation), as well as the process and outcome evaluation findings as they relate to their projects:
- Boston, MA: Improving Homicide Clearances Using an Experimental Design
- Cambridge, MA: Reducing Crime with Problem-Solving and Collaborative Focused-Deterrence
- Los Angeles, CA: Institutionalizing Operation LASER in the Los Angeles Police Department
- Rochester, NY: Reducing Violent Retaliatory Disputes with Problem-Solving
This webinar concluded by describing overarching findings and lessons learned since the inception of SPI, as it relates to the use of various Smart Policing strategies (e.g., offender-based, place-based, organizational change, predictive analytics, technology) to address a variety of crime problems (gun violence, gangs, property crime, homicides, domestic violence, and more).
