How Can Embedded Criminologists, Police Pracademics, and Crime Analysts Help Increase Police-Led Program Evaluations? A Survey of Authors Cited in the Evidence-Based Policing Matrix

Abstract

Abstract Evidence-based policing emphasizes the evaluation of interventions to create a catalogue of effective programs and practices. Program evaluation has primarily been considered the purview of academic researchers, with police agencies typically uninvolved in the evaluation of their own interventions. Scholars have recently advocated for police to take more ownership over program evaluation, often arguing for an increased role of three primary entities: embedded criminologists, police pracademics, and crime analysts. While an emerging body of literature has explored these entities individually, research has yet to explore the unique contributions each can make to police-led science. The current study is a survey of scholars who authored or co-authored one or more studies included in the evidence-based policing matrix. The authors explore four distinct research questions pertaining to police-led science. Findings suggest that embedded criminologists, police pracademics, and crime analysts may each have a unique role to play in promoting police-led science.