Measuring the Impact of Organizational Change on Crime and Disorder Outcomes: A Process and Outcome Evaluation

• In Event: New Findings from the Strategies for Policing Innovation Initiative #3

Abstract

Police organizations have been recognized as one of the most innovative and adaptable arms of the criminal justice system. The introduction of new policing strategies and the use of data to inform decision making has become the norm for most modern American police agencies. In the aftermath of the 2007-2008 economic recession, many police agencies have re-focused their attention on the adoption of evidence-based practices while also returning to more community-centered policing activities. This paper reports on a Bureau of Justice Assistance Strategies for Policing Innovation (SPI) funded study of organizational change introduced to facilitate more effective place-based and community policing strategies. Organizational change included new supervision structures, decentralization of crime analysis, creation of new operational teams, and modifications to the institutions performance measurement and management system. A process and outcome evaluation were conducted, allowing for the study of organizational change implementation and strategy outcome measurement. Preliminary insights reveal that organizational change efforts created positive outputs and outcomes, but that implementation was more challenging than expected. Results and implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Brenda J. Bond, Suffolk University

• Elias Nader, University of Massachusetts, Lowell