On December 4, 2012 at 2 pm EST, Deputy Chief Arthur Ryan from the Lowell, MA Police Department facilitated an online seminar titled "SMART Police Officers: The End Game." As departments begin to embrace the theories and practices of Smart Policing it becomes more obvious that to achieve true success and sustainability it is necessary to develop and support Smart Police Officers. To get to this point requires research and planning, training and experience, and continuous evaluation and assessment. The “End Game” in a department committed to Smart Policing is to create an environment in which line personnel engage strategies that have been proven effective in responding to the challenges they face. They also need to be alert to other potential strategies that may be effective and have the ability to work with researchers to evaluate them. This webinar discussed several issues and obstacles that must be addressed to achieve this goal. Key areas to address for the agency that desires to fully embrace Smart Policing include organizational change, training and technology, as well as others. The Smart Police Officer of the future will be one that can access timely data, employ sound practices and evaluate their productivity with minimal direction from commanders. The role of commanders will be to support the efforts of the line staff and coordinate the activities of small groups of officers when dealing with larger and more complex problems.
- Policing Crime and Disorder Hot Spots: A Randomized Controlled Trial by Anthony A. Braga and Brenda J. Bond.
