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SMART POLICING INITIATIVE UPDATES - AUGUST 2016
Recent Updates
Dear SPI Community,
Please check out recent updates from the Smart Policing Initiative:
  1. Randomized Controlled Trials in Criminal Justice webinar recording released.
  2. Updates from the Indio, CA SPI site.
  3. New SPI Spotlight Report about the New Haven, CT SPI
  4. Upcoming SPI Events
  5. Newly added resources featuring information about trauma-informed policing, gun violence, and procedural justice.
New SPI Spotlight Report Released: New Haven, CT
SPI is pleased to announce the release of our newest SPI Spotlight Report, focusing on the New Haven, CT SPI. This report, titled " New Haven, Connecticut Smart Policing Initiative: Employing Evidence-Based Policing Strategies to Engage the Community and Reduce Crime" was co-authored by Christopher M. Sedelmaier and Natalie Kroovand Hipple. It describes the New Haven SPI approach to community outreach and crime reduction, including enhanced foot patrols and a modified problem-oriented policing approach. The New Haven SPI experience presents several lessons learned for both police managers and line-level officers. For example for managers, the POP model is adaptable, and departments can modify it to fit challenges or situations that are unique to the local community, as New Haven did. 

You can read the Spotlight Report online here.
Using Randomized Controlled Trials in Criminal Justice
On June 8, 2016, from 2:00-3:30 pm eastern, the Smart Policing Initiative presented a webinar on “Using Randomized Controlled Trials in Criminal Justice.” This webinar was presented by Dr. Gipsy Escobar, Director of Research at Measures for Justice, and Dr. Michael D. White, Professor and Director of the Ph.D. Program at the School of Criminology & Criminal Justice, Arizona State University. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard of scientific research.  The last two decades have seen a significant increase in the use of RCTs to evaluate criminal justice programs, especially police interventions, with very promising results. Police “treatments” that have been studied with RCT designs include arrest policies for domestic violence calls, hot spots initiatives, and body-worn camera use. This webinar introduces participants to the basic principles of experimental research in natural (non-laboratory) settings. Participants learn about when RCT is an appropriate research option, the advantages and disadvantages of experiments, implementation and analytical issues, and ethical and practical considerations. 
You can view the webinar recording online here.
Update from the Indio, CA SPI Site
The Indio, CA Police Department participated in SPI from 2010-2014 and have continued and expanded their SPI activities in the time since their original initiative. They recently provided several updates about  ongoing community engagement activities related to reducing truancy and burglaries in their community.

You can read about these activities on the Indio SPI Site Page.
Photos from recent community events in Indio, CA
New Resources
Upcoming Events
  • September 7-9, 2016: Smart Suite Summit in Arlington, VA
  • November 16-19, 2016: SPI Presentations and Roundtable at the American Society of Criminology Meeting in New Orleans, LA
  • Fall 2016: Webinar on Mental Health Response in Policing, more information coming soon!
  • Fall 2016: Announcement of New SPI Sites
Bureau of Justice Assistance Smart Policing Initiative
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