Maximizing the Impact of Community Policing Initiatives: Why Evidence-Based Strategies are Crucial for Success

• In Event: Community Engagement, Neighborhoods, and Policing

Abstract

Over the past 30 years, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has invested heavily in community policing initiatives across the United States. This evaluation examines the impact of adding officers through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Grant and deploying them in an evidence-based way that aligns with the priorities of the Community-Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) program. Deputies from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) assigned to a single jurisdiction were encouraged to use place-based and offender-focused strategies to address crime and disorder at crime hot spots, while simultaneously building cross-sector partnerships and increasing pro-social interactions with community members. Using a synthetic control design, we compare trends in crime-related calls for service (CFS) between the treated jurisdiction and a ‘counterfactual’ control unit that closely resembles the jurisdiction in the absence of the initiative. The results suggest the initiative produced statistically significant reductions in crime-related CFS in the treated jurisdiction when compared to its ‘synthetic’ counterpart over the duration of the intervention. These findings highlight the need to consider whether hiring grants should require agencies to implement evidence-based strategies, as simply increasing the number of officers may not be enough to produce substantial crime reductions.

Authors

• Bradley O'Guinn, University of Cincinnati

• Cory P. Haberman, University of Cincinnati