The State of Proactive Policing in American Police Agencies

• In Event: Understanding, Identifying, and Measuring Police Proactivity

Abstract

Despite extensive research and debate over the effects of proactive policing strategies, little is actually known about the realities of proactive work in American police agencies beyond their reports of minor arrests, which represent an incomplete and biased picture of proactivity. This presentation will provide results from a national survey of U.S. police agencies, conducted by George Mason University in cooperation with the International Association of Crime Analysts, to more fully understand the extent to which agencies are proactive, the types of proactive work agencies engage in, and the capacity of agencies to measure proactivity. To this end, the survey is examining agency tracking and measurement of proactive activities such as vehicle and pedestrian stops, directed patrols, community and offender contacts, problem-solving, and other crime prevention efforts. The survey is also examining how agencies direct and manage these efforts. Implications will be considered for research, policy, and police management.

Authors

• Christopher Koper, George Mason University

• Cynthia Lum, George Mason University

• Xiaoyun Wu, George Mason University

• Megan Stoltz, George Mason University

• William Dean Johnson, George Mason University

• Noah Fritz, Tempe Police Department