Paper 2. Informing Practice through Navigating Governance of Administrative Data

• In Event: Strengthening Evidence-Based Policing Through Applied Research Partnerships Part II

Abstract

Researcher access to agency administrative data for research purposes requires substantial agency cooperation. Data access processes can be further complicated if multi-agency collaboration is required. In endeavoring to evaluate the effectiveness of the Toronto Police Service (TPS) body-worn camera (BWC) program on several outcomes using a quasi-experimental design, it was necessary to cultivate partnerships between academic researchers, the TPS, several units within TPS, and the Board that governs the TPS. In this paper we describe the nature of the effective applied research partnership that allowed us to successfully navigate a complex data governance structure. We found the data governance structure to be characterized by several levels of gatekeepers and permissions, and siloed databases. In addition to sharing our experiences with what we hope to be an enduring applied partnership we present and discuss some evaluation results.

Authors

• Jared Henry, Queen's University at Kingston

• Victoria A. Sytsma, Queen's University