Résumé
“There has been a tremendous amount of innovation in policing over the last 40 years,from community and problem-oriented policing to hot spots and intelligence-ledpolicing. Many of these innovations have been subjected to empirical testing, with mixedresults on effectiveness. The latest innovation in policing is the Bureau of JusticeAssistance’s Smart Policing Initiative (2009). Created in 2009, the SPI provides fundingto law enforcement agencies to develop and test evidence-based practices to addresscrime and disorder. Researchers have not yet tested the impact of the SPI on the fundedagencies, particularly with regard to core principles of the Initiative. The most notable ofthese is the collaboration between law enforcement agencies and their research partners.The current study surveyed SPI agencies and their research partners on key aspects oftheir Initiative. The current study uses mean score comparisons and qualitativeresponses to evaluate this partnership to determine the extent of its value and effect. Italso seeks to determine the areas of police agency crime analysis and research units thatare most in need of enhancement. Findings indicate that the research partners areactively involved in a range of aspects involved in problem solving under the SmartPolicing Initiative, and that they have positively influenced police agencies’ research andcrime analysis functions, and to a lesser extent, have positively impacted police agencies’tactical operations. Additionally, personnel, technology, and training were found to bethe main areas of the crime analysis and research units that still need to be enhanced.The thesis concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for policepolicy and practice.”—Page I.