Publications

Researchers surveyed over 3,000 Americans to understand when the public thinks police should call off high-speed chases, finding that people generally support ending pursuits when conditions become dangerous (high speeds, bad weather, heavy traffic) but are more willing to accept risks when violent criminals are being chased. These findings suggest that current police policies emphasizing risk-based decision-making align well with public expectations about when chases should continue versus when they should be stopped. Understanding public attitudes on police chases is important because these pursuits can result in serious injuries or deaths to officers, suspects, and innocent bystanders.

Researchers tested whether artificial intelligence tools actually help police officers write reports faster, as companies selling these technologies claim. The study found that AI assistance did not significantly reduce the time it takes officers to complete their reports. This matters because police departments are already spending money on unproven AI tools that may not deliver the promised efficiency benefits, suggesting agencies should be more cautious before adopting these technologies.

Police leaders and researchers surveyed about implementing new policing practices revealed that even effective innovations often fail because of organizational barriers rather than whether they actually work. Key obstacles include officers' distrust of changes proposed by outsiders, lack of integration into performance reviews, and the reality that new approaches are typically more complex than existing methods. These findings help explain why many promising police reforms struggle to take hold in departments, regardless of their proven effectiveness.

Researchers tested whether police officers who actually used an AI tool to help write reports had different opinions about the technology compared to officers who didn't use it, finding that both groups had similarly positive views regardless of hands-on experience. While officers who used the AI tool didn't report significantly better outcomes than those who didn't, supervisors noticed improvements in report quality and efficiency when officers used the technology. This suggests that police departments considering AI writing tools should focus on proper training and managing expectations, since officer attitudes may be shaped more by general perceptions of the technology than by direct experience with it.

Researchers surveyed over 2,400 people to understand how the public views police officers using profanity in different situations, finding that context matters significantly—while swearing at the public, especially in a mean-spirited way, was widely condemned, casual swearing among officers or about situations was generally seen as acceptable. The study revealed that police leaders tend to be much harsher about officer profanity than the public expects them to be. These findings suggest that police departments might benefit from more flexible language policies that focus on truly harmful speech rather than blanket rules that treat all swearing the same way.

Researchers examined the scientific quality of work produced by the Force Science Institute, a private company that provides expert testimony and training materials used in police use-of-force cases, and found that their research fails to meet basic scientific standards required for court evidence. Despite being presented as authoritative science, Force Science materials lack the reliability and rigor that courts, police departments, and training programs should demand when making critical decisions about police use of force. This matters because unreliable "science" is currently being used to influence legal cases, officer training, and department policies that determine when and how police use force against civilians.

A new study examining civilian review boards—independent panels that investigate police misconduct—found these oversight bodies don't actually improve the public's trust in police as intended. While people with already negative views of police saw some benefit from civilian oversight, the boards generally failed to boost police legitimacy, and when they disagreed with police chiefs' decisions, public trust in both police and the oversight system actually decreased. These findings suggest that civilian review boards, despite widespread public support for the concept, may not be the effective solution to police accountability problems that many communities hope they will be.

Researchers conducted the first experimental test of AI tools designed to help police officers write reports faster, but found these tools did not actually reduce the time it takes officers to complete their paperwork. This finding contradicts marketing claims made by companies selling AI writing software to police departments, many of which have already started using these unproven technologies. The results suggest police agencies should be cautious about investing in AI report-writing tools since they may not deliver the promised time savings that could free up officers for other duties.

Researchers studied whether gunshot detection technology - acoustic sensors that automatically alert police to gunfire - actually improves police effectiveness in a mid-sized city, finding that it helped officers discover more shootings, seize more guns, and respond faster to incidents without victims. The technology appeared to reduce non-fatal shootings but had no effect on fatal shootings, suggesting it works best for lower-level gun violence that might otherwise go unreported to police. This matters because most previous studies focused on large cities, leaving smaller police departments uncertain whether this expensive technology would benefit their communities.

Researchers tested whether using artificial intelligence to automatically review police body camera footage could improve officer behavior in two large US police departments. The AI monitoring led to measurable improvements in how professionally officers interacted with the public, though the specific changes varied depending on whether the department was already under court-ordered reform. This suggests that automated review of body camera footage could be a practical tool for police accountability, helping departments better supervise officers when they can't manually review the millions of hours of video recorded each year.

Researchers analyzed seven years of police data from Salt Lake City to determine what factors most affect how quickly officers respond to emergency calls, finding that having enough officers on duty matters far more than other factors like call volume or proactive policing activities. The study reveals that while adding more officers improves response times across all types of calls, the biggest improvements occur for lower-priority incidents rather than the most serious emergencies. This evidence provides police departments with concrete data to support staffing decisions and helps explain why understaffed departments struggle to maintain quick response times even when they reduce other activities.

Police officers use profanity like "fuck" for various professional purposes—to establish authority, build camaraderie, or reduce tension—but current department policies either don't exist or are too vague to effectively regulate inappropriate use. A survey of nearly 1,500 police and human resources executives found that context matters significantly: who the profanity is directed at and why it's being used should determine whether it violates professional standards. This research provides a framework for police departments to create more precise policies that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable use of strong language on the job.

Researchers conducted an experiment with over 1,300 police chiefs and executives to see how they respond to different types of information about civilian oversight boards that monitor police departments. They found that police leaders are willing to change their views when they learn about what other police departments are doing, but they become more resistant to oversight when they hear about strong public demands for more aggressive monitoring. This matters because it shows that police reform efforts may be more successful when they emphasize peer influence rather than public pressure, suggesting a strategic approach for implementing civilian oversight.

Researchers surveyed over 1,300 police chiefs and sheriffs across the U.S. to understand when law enforcement leaders support civilian oversight of their departments. They found that police executives are much more likely to support oversight when other major police departments have already adopted it, but they largely ignore public opinion—even though the vast majority of Americans favor civilian review of police. This suggests that police reform may spread more effectively through professional networks among law enforcement leaders rather than through public pressure alone.

This study critiques a prominent scholar's claim that randomized controlled trials (RCTs) - the gold standard research method - don't work in criminal justice and should be abandoned in favor of less rigorous approaches. The authors argue this conclusion is flawed because it inappropriately combines results from vastly different studies with different designs, populations, and outcomes - like mixing apples and oranges to draw broad conclusions. Instead of abandoning rigorous research methods, police departments and criminal justice agencies should use more comprehensive study designs borrowed from medicine that can better account for the complex, real-world factors that affect whether reforms actually work and last over time.

A rigorous experiment with 85 police officers found that artificial intelligence tools did not reduce the time officers spent writing reports, despite industry claims that AI would speed up this time-consuming task. This matters because police departments are increasingly investing in AI technologies with the expectation they will free up officers for patrol duties, but this study suggests those promised efficiency gains may not materialize. The findings challenge assumptions about AI's immediate practical benefits in policing and suggest departments should be cautious about expecting quick returns on AI investments.

Police resignations surged by 279% after the George Floyd protests in 2020, while retirements and firings remained steady, creating a staffing crisis that continues today. This massive wave of voluntary departures is undermining police departments' ability to serve their communities effectively. The findings suggest that improving how officers are treated within their organizations and providing better support could help address this ongoing retention problem.

Researchers analyzed staffing data from 14 large police agencies to see if officer departures increased after the 2020 George Floyd protests and found that 11 of the 14 agencies experienced significantly higher resignation and retirement rates - with some losing up to 16% more officers than expected. These findings show that public criticism and protests following high-profile police incidents can lead to substantial workforce losses in police departments. Understanding these staffing changes is important because officer shortages can affect how police departments operate and serve their communities.

Researchers studied how COVID-19 lockdowns and the 2020 George Floyd protests affected police officers' proactive work—like traffic stops and community patrols—in a major U.S. city. While COVID stay-at-home orders caused a temporary drop in this police activity that quickly bounced back, the Floyd protests led to a sharp and lasting decline in officers initiating contacts with the public. This matters because it shows how social unrest can have a more enduring impact on day-to-day policing than health emergencies, potentially affecting public safety and police-community relations long-term.

Researchers tested whether police officers can accurately identify when they have legal grounds to extend a traffic stop for further investigation by presenting 396 officers with hypothetical scenarios based on real court cases. While officers generally made correct legal judgments about when "reasonable suspicion" existed, they showed restraint in actually using their authority to extend stops even when legally justified to do so. This suggests that understanding police behavior requires looking beyond demographics and locations to examine how officers interpret the specific facts of each situation they encounter.

This study found that most large police departments across the US experienced significant increases in officer resignations and retirements in the two years following the 2020 protests over George Floyd's murder, with eleven of fourteen agencies losing between 2% and 16% more personnel than would normally be expected. These staffing losses matter because they can affect police departments' ability to respond to calls, maintain community relationships, and carry out daily operations. The research helps quantify how nationwide protests and criticism of policing have translated into real workforce changes within police agencies.

Police officers have legal authority to use force, but research shows we still have more questions than clear answers about when and how this power should be used. Courts, especially the Supreme Court, set the main rules for what counts as appropriate force, while new technology and research methods are helping both police departments and researchers better study and control how officers use force. Understanding police use of force is crucial because it directly shapes whether the public trusts and views police as legitimate.

Researchers tested whether showing people scientific studies about policing could change their opinions on police effectiveness, body cameras, and police funding. They found that research evidence successfully shifted public views on police effectiveness and body cameras, but had no impact on the more politically charged topic of police funding. This suggests that while scientific research can influence public opinion on some policing issues, deeply political topics may be resistant to evidence-based persuasion.

A survey of 4,200 people found that Americans are more supportive of local police departments using artificial intelligence tools than federal agencies like the FBI, but they show little concern about whether agencies have the necessary resources and expertise to use AI properly. The research reveals that public opinion about AI in policing depends heavily on which agency is using the technology rather than what the technology actually does or how well-prepared the agency is to implement it. This matters because it suggests police departments need to focus on building community trust and demonstrating local accountability when introducing AI tools, rather than just proving the technology works.

This study examines how police officers use profanity, particularly the word "fuck," finding that officers use it for various purposes including asserting authority and building camaraderie with colleagues, but also sometimes in ways that harm public perception of police. Through interviews and experiments with nearly 1,500 police and HR executives, the research develops a framework for creating better policies that distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate uses of profanity based on who it's directed at and why it's being used. This matters because most police departments currently lack clear, practical guidelines for officer language, leaving agencies unable to effectively address unprofessional conduct while still allowing officers to communicate effectively in high-stress situations.

This research examined violations in USDA organic food certification and found that most penalties were issued for paperwork and administrative errors rather than actual farming practices that violated organic standards. The findings reveal how complex bureaucratic requirements can create enforcement burdens that favor larger operations over smaller ones, since bigger companies can better afford the administrative costs of compliance. This demonstrates how regulatory enforcement systems can unintentionally reshape entire markets by making it harder for smaller players to navigate compliance requirements, even when they're following the substantive rules.

This study surveyed 529 police officers nationwide to understand how they feel about wearing body cameras and whether different department policies affect their sense of being fairly monitored. The research found that officers' perceptions of fairness depend on specific policy details like when cameras must be turned on and who can review the footage. Understanding officer attitudes toward body cameras matters because negative perceptions could undermine the technology's implementation and effectiveness in improving police accountability.

When a major police department suddenly ended its K-9 program in 2020, researchers found that officer injuries, suspect injuries, and suspects resisting arrest did not increase during felony arrests. This challenges common police arguments that K-9 units are essential for officer and public safety during dangerous situations. The findings suggest that police departments can restrict or eliminate K-9 programs without putting officers or suspects at greater risk of harm.

Researchers surveyed over 1,300 police chiefs and sheriffs to understand what influences their support for civilian oversight of police departments. They found that police executives are much more likely to support oversight when other police agencies have already adopted it, but they largely ignore public opinion—even though voters overwhelmingly favor civilian oversight. This suggests that police reform spreads primarily through professional networks rather than democratic pressure, which helps explain why changes in policing often happen slowly despite strong public demand.

Researchers found that people can predict which police cadets will get promoted later in their careers simply by looking at their academy graduation photos, suggesting that facial appearance influences promotion decisions. When shown pairs of photos, observers correctly identified who would be promoted 70% of the time based solely on perceived leadership traits from facial features. This finding raises concerns that police promotions may not be based purely on merit and job performance, but are instead influenced by unconscious biases about how leaders should look.

Researchers studied COVID-19 infection rates among nearly 700 police officers over almost a year and found that vaccination essentially eliminated new infections within weeks of the agency's immunization program, which achieved over 70% employee participation. This finding is significant because COVID-19 had severely disrupted police operations by forcing large numbers of officers into quarantine due to infections and exposures. The results demonstrate that vaccination programs can effectively restore police departments to full operational capacity by protecting their workforce from the virus.

Researchers examined whether requiring police to test all sexual assault evidence kits would lead to more arrests for rape, but found that arrest rates actually declined or stayed the same after the policy was implemented in one large city. This challenges the common assumption that mandatory testing of rape kits automatically translates into more offenders being caught and arrested. The findings suggest that police departments need additional reforms beyond just testing requirements to effectively investigate sexual assault cases and hold perpetrators accountable.

Police in a major U.S. city found that rape victims were frequently dropping out of investigations, partly because officers' initial responses and report writing reflected harmful stereotypes about sexual assault victims. After implementing a four-hour trauma-informed training program for all 600 officers, victim participation in investigations increased by 32% and officers began using more supportive language in their reports. This research demonstrates that relatively brief, specialized training can significantly improve how police respond to sexual assault cases, potentially leading to better outcomes for victims and more effective investigations.

Police departments typically organize their use-of-force policies as a ladder where officers are expected to escalate from "lower" physical force (like strikes or takedowns) to "higher" technological tools (like tasers), but new research analyzing a year of police force incidents found this ranking doesn't match reality. When physical force was treated as a lesser option than electronic weapons, officers got injured more often while suspects got injured less, suggesting the traditional force hierarchy may be backwards. These findings challenge how police departments train officers and structure their policies about when and how to use different types of force.

Police officers quit their jobs at nearly three times the normal rate following the widespread protests after George Floyd's death in 2020, according to a study that tracked employment data from a large police department over five years. While retirements and firings remained steady, voluntary resignations spiked by 279% and are predicted to stay high, creating a staffing crisis that could affect departments' ability to respond to crime and serve communities. This finding suggests that periods of intense public scrutiny and criticism can trigger significant workforce losses in policing, forcing police leaders to find new ways to retain officers and maintain public safety operations.

Researchers analyzed emergency calls in seven U.S. cities during COVID-19 and found that domestic violence calls to both police (about 1,030 more calls) and emergency hotlines (about 1,671 more calls) increased significantly as people stayed home during the pandemic. This finding matters for police departments because it shows how external crises can create predictable spikes in certain types of emergency calls, helping them better prepare and allocate resources during future emergencies. The study also demonstrates that tracking data from multiple sources in real-time can help police and community organizations work together more effectively to respond to domestic violence.

This study examined how managing emotions on the job contributes to burnout among both sworn police officers and civilian employees across police departments, sheriff's offices, and corrections agencies. The research found that while officers and civilian staff experience different levels of emotional exhaustion and feeling disconnected from their work, the emotional demands of the job significantly increase burnout risk for both groups. These findings matter because law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on civilian employees to support their operations, yet little research has explored how the emotional stress of police work affects non-sworn personnel who interact with the public and support critical functions.

This study examined how the emotional demands of police work affect both sworn officers and civilian employees (who make up nearly half of law enforcement agency staff) in a large corrections department. Survey data from 934 employees revealed that while both groups experience emotional stress from their jobs, they burn out in different ways and for different reasons. Understanding these differences is crucial for police administrators because current management approaches may not effectively address the distinct needs of civilian staff, who are essential to department operations but often overlooked in research and policy.

Police officers decide when to turn on their body-worn cameras, and this study found that what officers do on the job (like patrol versus desk work) is the strongest predictor of how often they activate their cameras, while officer demographics and most attitudes don't matter much. However, officers who believe cameras limit their decision-making freedom or expose them to public criticism are less likely to turn them on. This matters because body cameras are meant to increase police accountability, but their effectiveness depends on officers actually using them during important encounters with the public.

Police researchers studied what motivates officers to turn on their body-worn cameras by surveying 147 officers and analyzing their camera usage data. They found that an officer's specific job duties and department policies were the strongest predictors of camera use, while personal attitudes and demographics like age or race had little impact. This suggests that clear departmental rules and job expectations—rather than individual officer preferences—are key to ensuring consistent body camera activation, which could help explain why some police body camera programs succeed while others fail.

Researchers analyzed prosecution decisions across Florida counties and found that filing charges quickly and resolving cases swiftly reduced crime rates more effectively than pursuing harsher punishments. The study shows that the speed and certainty of consequences matter more than severity for deterring crime at the community level. These findings suggest that prosecutors play a crucial role in crime prevention by ensuring swift and reliable responses to criminal behavior, which complements traditional policing efforts.

I cannot provide a summary of this article for a policing research audience because this study is about organic food policy and agriculture producers, not policing or criminology. The research examines how organic farmers' personal values influence their perceptions of U.S. organic food policies and programs. If you're looking for a criminology article summary, you may have shared the wrong article. If you'd like a general summary of this organic policy research instead, I'd be happy to provide that.

Researchers developed a new measurement tool to understand how police officers feel about being monitored by body-worn cameras, finding that officers worry about three main things: losing their ability to make judgment calls, facing public criticism, and having their footage shared widely. Officers who feel more intensely monitored by these cameras experience higher levels of emotional exhaustion and job stress. This research helps police departments better understand how body cameras affect officer wellbeing and job performance, which is crucial for making smart decisions about camera policies.

This study examined how workers at non-governmental organizations manage their emotions as part of their job duties, finding that staff must carefully control their feelings when mentoring colleagues, setting boundaries with clients, and staying calm during crises. While this research focuses on NGOs rather than police, it reveals important insights about emotional demands in public service work that likely apply to law enforcement officers who face similar challenges in managing their emotions while helping people and responding to emergencies. Understanding how emotional labor affects workers in helping professions could inform better training and support systems for police officers dealing with traumatic or stressful situations.

A large-scale study of public opinion found that many Americans disapprove of police force even when it's legally justified, and this disapproval has grown over nearly three decades from 1990 to 2018. This research reveals a significant gap between what the law considers reasonable police conduct and what the public finds acceptable. Understanding this disconnect is crucial for police departments and policymakers because it helps explain why police-community tensions persist even in cases where officers follow proper legal procedures.

This study examined how workers at non-governmental organizations must manage their emotions as part of their job - such as staying calm during crises, maintaining professional boundaries with clients, and mentoring new staff while suppressing their own stress. The research found that this "emotional labor" can be both demanding and rewarding for NGO employees who serve vulnerable populations. Understanding emotional labor in NGOs provides important context for policing research, since officers often work alongside these organizations and face similar challenges of managing emotions while serving people in crisis situations.

A study of 271 police officers found that wearing body cameras increases officer burnout and makes them feel less supported by their departments, likely because the cameras create a sense of constant surveillance at work. However, when police departments actively work to support their officers, this can reduce the negative effects of body camera programs. This research is important because it shows that body cameras don't just affect police interactions with the public—they also impact officer well-being, which departments need to consider when implementing these technologies.

This research finds that public employees like police officers can become emotionally burned out when they're required to manage their feelings and interactions with the public without adequate organizational support. When officers become alienated from their work, they may unconsciously transmit negative emotions to community members, who can sense when interactions feel fake or forced, leading to greater distrust of police. This matters for policing because it suggests that police departments need better support systems for officers' emotional wellbeing to prevent a cycle where officer burnout damages police-community relationships.

Police officers and other public servants must constantly manage their emotions on the job—staying calm with difficult people, showing empathy with victims, and suppressing frustration—but new research shows this emotional effort is less stressful for workers in cultures that emphasize group harmony over individual needs. Comparing public servants from Eastern and Western countries, researchers found that managing emotions actually reduced burnout among workers in collectivist cultures, while it increased stress for those in individualistic cultures like the United States. This finding suggests that emotional training and support programs for police officers may need to be tailored differently depending on cultural context, as officers from different backgrounds may experience the psychological demands of their job in fundamentally different ways.

While police body cameras are promoted as tools to increase transparency and accountability, they create serious privacy risks that policymakers haven't fully considered, especially for vulnerable victims of domestic and sexual violence who may be recorded during traumatic moments. The research warns that surveillance technologies often expand beyond their original purpose and become tools of control rather than accountability, particularly when laws and regulations fail to keep pace with how the technology is actually used. This matters because it challenges the common assumption that more police surveillance automatically leads to better policing, highlighting the need for stronger ethical guidelines to protect victims' privacy and dignity.