Evaluating Law Enforcement Training: An RCT Examining the Impact on Police Perceptions and Behavior

• In Event: Research to Advance Community Safety: Bridging Within-Systems Change and Transformative Justice for Lasting Impact

Abstract

Objectives: Law enforcement training has been increasingly deployed nationwide in an effort to improve policing outcomes and police-civilian relations. However, the efficacy of these trainings has yet to be comprehensively examined. This study evaluates the impact of implicit bias and active bystandership training on officer perceptions and behavior, addressing the gap in rigorous assessments of law enforcement training efficacy.
Data/Methods: This four-year mixed-methods randomized controlled trial (RCT) involves 300 patrol officers in a mid-sized northeastern law enforcement agency. The evaluation includes pre-post surveys, Virtual Reality (VR) scenario observations, five years of administrative data, training observations, and stakeholder interviews.
Results: Preliminary results will focus on pre-post survey and VR results. Findings will highlight officers’ shifts in attitudes and behavior and early insights on training fidelity from process evaluations.
Conclusion: This study provides critical evidence on the effectiveness of police training in shaping officer behavior and informs strategies for agencies, policymakers, and researchers seeking to enhance law enforcement training.

Authors

• Linda Phiri, Georgetown Law Center for Innovations in Community Safety

• Cassandra Ramdath, Center for Innovations in Community Safety (Georgetown Law)

• Andrea Headley, Georgetown University, McCourt School of Public Policy