Law Enforcement
Knowing what to do starts with knowing what works, and what hasn't. CrimeSolutions helps practitioners and policymakers understand what programs & practices work, are promising, or haven't worked yet.
On this page you can find programs and practices related to Law Enforcement. Select "Search Filters" to narrow down the list by rating, extent of evidence, and many other aspects of the programs or practices. Skip to Practices
Title | Evidence Rating | Topics | Summary | ||||||||||||
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Practice Profile: Police-Initiated Pedestrian Stops to Reduce Crime |
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Policing strategies, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Use of force, Law enforcement, Crime prevention, Law enforcement operations, Investigations, Mental health | Police-initiated pedestrian stops involve police officers’ stopping, questioning, and investigating pedestrians on the street, usually based on suspicion of criminal behavior or activity. Generally, the goal of the stops is to prevent or reduce the occurrence of crime and disorder. The practice is rated Promising for reducing measures of crime and displacement but was rated Ineffective for improving measures of mental and physical health of citizens who were stopped by police. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Mindfulness Training for Law Enforcement to Reduce Occupational Impact |
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Training, Law enforcement | This practice encompasses a wellness intervention that seeks to reduce the negative impact of stress on police officers, to improve their mental health outcomes. The practice is rated Effective for improving measures of depression, anxiety, and burnout. The practice is rated Ineffective for improving measures of sleep quality. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports |
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Youth development, School climate, Schools, Restorative justice, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Law enforcement | This practice utilizes a multi-tiered system of supports designed to make schools more effective in establishing a school culture and building a behavioral supports system to improve students’ behavioral, social, emotional, and academic outcomes. It involves three tiers of support, including both prevention and intervention efforts. The practice is rated Promising for reducing students’ problem behaviors. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Body-Worn Cameras’ Effects on Police Officer Behavior |
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Assault, Sensors/Surveillance, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Law enforcement operations, Arrests, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Equipment and technology | This practice involves the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement. The aim of this practice is to record interactions from an officer’s point of view to improve accountability and positively affect police officer behavior. The practice is rated Ineffective for its effects on officer use of force, officer injuries, officer-initiated calls for service, traffic stops, field interviews, and arrest incidents. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Red-Light Camera Interventions for Reducing Traffic Violations and Crashes |
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Sensors/Surveillance, Vehicles, Property crime, Crime prevention, Traffic laws, Traffic law enforcement, Law enforcement operations, Law enforcement, Equipment and technology | Red-light cameras are a traffic enforcement mechanism that permit police to remotely enforce traffic signals, to deter red-light running at signalized intersections. Red-light cameras are a fully automated photo detection system that includes cameras, sensors or triggers, and a computer. The practice is rated Promising for reducing total injury crashes. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing total crashes, total property-damage-only crashes, or total red-light-running crashes. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Psychological Treatments for Adults With Histories of Violent Offending |
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Mental health, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Intimate partner violence | This practice consists of talk-based therapies aimed at reducing violent, aggressive, or antisocial behavior of adults with a history of violent offending. Therapies include cognitive-behavioral therapy, anger management programs, and violence reduction programs. This practice is rated Promising for reducing trait anger and impulsivity and for improving social problem solving, and general social skills. This practice is rated Ineffective for reducing antisocial cognitions. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Rehabilitation Programs for Adults Convicted of a Crime |
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Parole, Probation, Mental health, Drug courts, Mental health courts, Jails, Corrections, Community corrections, Inmate assistance programs, Prisons, Reentry, Drug abuse prevention and education, Drugs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts, Prosecution, Law enforcement, Drug treatment | This practice includes programs that are designed to reduce recidivism among adults by improving their behaviors, skills, mental health, social functioning, and access to education and employment. They may become participants in rehabilitation programs during multiple points in their involvement with the criminal justice system. This practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism among adults who have been convicted of an offense. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Geographically Focused Policing Initiatives |
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Community policing, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Situational crime prevention, Law enforcement, Law enforcement operations | Geographically focused policing initiatives increase the presence and visibility of police officers at specific high-crime locations to significantly reduce crime and disorder. This practice is rated Promising for reducing crime in treatment areas relative to control areas. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Gang Membership Prevention Programs |
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Youth gangs, Gangs, Gang Crime, Crime prevention | This practice includes programs that are designed to deter youth from joining gangs. Programs can be delivered either to a universal population (i.e., all youth regardless of risk level), or to youth identified as being at-risk for gang membership. Programs include preventive awareness strategies and gang membership prevention strategies. The practice is rated Promising for reducing the likelihood that youth will join a gang. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs) |
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Community policing, Jails, Corrections, Community corrections, Courts, Diversion, Law enforcement, Arrests | This practice comprises specialized police-led, pre-booking jail diversion responses to individuals with mental illness. The goals are to reduce police officers’ injuries and use of force, and to reduce arrests of individuals with mental illness. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing arrests of individuals with mental illness and reducing trained police officers’ use of force in situations involving mentally ill individuals. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Adult Reentry Programs |
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Mental health, Reentry courts, Jails, Prisons, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Inmate programs, Probation, Community corrections, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts, Law enforcement | This practice involves correctional programs that focus on the transition of individuals from prison into the community. Reentry programs involve treatment or services that have been initiated while the individual is in custody and a follow-up component after the individual is released. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Juvenile Curfew Laws |
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Young juvenile offenders, Crime prevention, Child health and welfare | Juvenile curfew laws are designed to restrict juveniles (below ages 17 or 18) from public places during specific hours such as nighttime (e.g., between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.) or during the school day (e.g., 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.). The primary purpose is to reduce juvenile crime and victimization by keeping them at home with their families or in school. This practice is rated Ineffective for reducing juvenile crime during curfew hours. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners for Forensic Examinations in Cases of Sexual Assault/Rape |
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Juvenile health, Treatment, Violent crime, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime, Victims of crime, Crisis response | This practice uses qualified nurses who are trained to collect forensic evidence in cases of rape and sexual assault (of both adults and children). The practice is rated Effective for providing treatment for sexually transmitted infections and emergency contraception to sexual assault/rape victims but is rated Ineffective for the proportion of complainants who had a rape kit collected. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Street-Level Drug Law Enforcement |
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Problem-oriented policing, Law enforcement operations, Public order offenses | This practice includes targeted-policing approaches for reducing drug and drug-related offenses. This practice is rated Promising in reducing reported, drug-related calls for services and offenses against persons. This practice is rated Ineffective in reducing reported property offenses, public order calls for service, and total offenses. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Metal Detectors and Security Screenings at Airports as a Counterterrorism Strategy |
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Counterterrorism includes strategies, policies, practices, interventions, or tactics that are designed to prevent or respond to terrorism. Target hardening at airports is an example of a defensive counterterrorism intervention that is designed to increase the detection of potential terrorism by placing metal detectors in airports and increasing security screening of passengers before they board planes. This practice is rated Promising for significantly reducing events of airplane hijackings.
Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Juvenile Diversion Programs |
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Drug courts, Juvenile courts, Diversion, Treatment, Victims of crime, Recidivism, Juvenile delinquency, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts | An intervention strategy that redirects youths away from formal processing in the juvenile justice system, while still holding them accountable for their actions. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism rates of juveniles who participated in diversion programming compared with juveniles who were formally processed in the justice system. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Reducing Gun Violence |
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Weapons violations, Gun violence, Problem-oriented policing, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Policing strategies | Reducing gun violence is a persistent public policy concern for communities, policymakers and leaders. To reduce gun violence, several strategies have been deployed including public health approaches (e.g., training and safe gun storage); gun buy-back programs; gun laws; and law enforcement strategies. The practice is rated Promising for reducing violent gun offenses. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Problem-Oriented Policing |
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Community policing, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Crime prevention | These analytic methods are used by police to develop crime prevention and reduction strategies. The practice is rated Promising and led to a significant decline in crime and disorder. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Surveillance |
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Burglary, Larceny/theft, Motor vehicle theft, Sensors/Surveillance, Surveillance, Witnesses, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Situational crime prevention, Law enforcement operations, Law enforcement, Violent crime, Equipment and technology | Public surveillance systems include a network of cameras and components for monitoring, recording, and transmitting video images. Public surveillance cameras are designed to reduce both property and personal crime. This practice is rated Promising for reducing overall crime, property crime, and vehicle crime, and rated No Effects for impacting violent crime. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Second Responder Programs |
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Elder abuse, Problem-oriented policing, Older Victims, Victimization, Crime prevention, Victims of crime, Crisis response | These programs consist of home visits by a crisis response team to follow-up on the initial police response to reports of family violence. The practice is rated No Effect for violent offenses —s the odds of reporting new abuse to the police were slightly higher for households that were assigned to receive a home visit through a second responder program. The practice is rated Ineffective on victimization (i.e. the intervention had no statistically significant effect on victims' reports of abuse). Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Focused Deterrence Strategies |
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Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Assault, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Sentencing, Courts, Juvenile (under 18) | This practice (also referred to as “pulling-levers policing”) includes problem-oriented policing strategies that follow the core principles of deterrence theory. The strategies target specific criminal behavior committed by a small number of individuals who chronically commit offenses, such as youth gang members or those who repeatedly commit violent offenses, who are vulnerable to sanctions and punishment. The practice is rated Promising for reducing crime. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Hot Spots Policing |
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Weapons violations, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Policing strategies, Property crime, Crime prevention, Law enforcement, Crime prevention, Larceny/theft, Patrol, Law enforcement operations, Arrests, Law enforcement, Drugs, Public order offenses | Hot spots policing strategies focus on small geographic areas or places, usually in urban settings, where crime is concentrated. Through hot spots policing strategies, law enforcement agencies can focus limited resources in areas where crime is most likely to occur. This practice is rated Effective for reducing overall crime and rated Promising for reducing violent, property, public order, and drug and alcohol offenses. Date Posted: |
Title | Evidence Rating | Topics | Summary | ||||||||||||
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Practice Profile: Police-Initiated Pedestrian Stops to Reduce Crime |
|
Policing strategies, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Use of force, Law enforcement, Crime prevention, Law enforcement operations, Investigations, Mental health | Police-initiated pedestrian stops involve police officers’ stopping, questioning, and investigating pedestrians on the street, usually based on suspicion of criminal behavior or activity. Generally, the goal of the stops is to prevent or reduce the occurrence of crime and disorder. The practice is rated Promising for reducing measures of crime and displacement but was rated Ineffective for improving measures of mental and physical health of citizens who were stopped by police. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Mindfulness Training for Law Enforcement to Reduce Occupational Impact |
|
Training, Law enforcement | This practice encompasses a wellness intervention that seeks to reduce the negative impact of stress on police officers, to improve their mental health outcomes. The practice is rated Effective for improving measures of depression, anxiety, and burnout. The practice is rated Ineffective for improving measures of sleep quality. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports |
|
Youth development, School climate, Schools, Restorative justice, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Law enforcement | This practice utilizes a multi-tiered system of supports designed to make schools more effective in establishing a school culture and building a behavioral supports system to improve students’ behavioral, social, emotional, and academic outcomes. It involves three tiers of support, including both prevention and intervention efforts. The practice is rated Promising for reducing students’ problem behaviors. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Body-Worn Cameras’ Effects on Police Officer Behavior |
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Assault, Sensors/Surveillance, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Law enforcement operations, Arrests, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Equipment and technology | This practice involves the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement. The aim of this practice is to record interactions from an officer’s point of view to improve accountability and positively affect police officer behavior. The practice is rated Ineffective for its effects on officer use of force, officer injuries, officer-initiated calls for service, traffic stops, field interviews, and arrest incidents. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Red-Light Camera Interventions for Reducing Traffic Violations and Crashes |
|
Sensors/Surveillance, Vehicles, Property crime, Crime prevention, Traffic laws, Traffic law enforcement, Law enforcement operations, Law enforcement, Equipment and technology | Red-light cameras are a traffic enforcement mechanism that permit police to remotely enforce traffic signals, to deter red-light running at signalized intersections. Red-light cameras are a fully automated photo detection system that includes cameras, sensors or triggers, and a computer. The practice is rated Promising for reducing total injury crashes. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing total crashes, total property-damage-only crashes, or total red-light-running crashes. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Psychological Treatments for Adults With Histories of Violent Offending |
|
Mental health, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Intimate partner violence | This practice consists of talk-based therapies aimed at reducing violent, aggressive, or antisocial behavior of adults with a history of violent offending. Therapies include cognitive-behavioral therapy, anger management programs, and violence reduction programs. This practice is rated Promising for reducing trait anger and impulsivity and for improving social problem solving, and general social skills. This practice is rated Ineffective for reducing antisocial cognitions. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Rehabilitation Programs for Adults Convicted of a Crime |
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Parole, Probation, Mental health, Drug courts, Mental health courts, Jails, Corrections, Community corrections, Inmate assistance programs, Prisons, Reentry, Drug abuse prevention and education, Drugs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts, Prosecution, Law enforcement, Drug treatment | This practice includes programs that are designed to reduce recidivism among adults by improving their behaviors, skills, mental health, social functioning, and access to education and employment. They may become participants in rehabilitation programs during multiple points in their involvement with the criminal justice system. This practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism among adults who have been convicted of an offense. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Geographically Focused Policing Initiatives |
|
Community policing, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Situational crime prevention, Law enforcement, Law enforcement operations | Geographically focused policing initiatives increase the presence and visibility of police officers at specific high-crime locations to significantly reduce crime and disorder. This practice is rated Promising for reducing crime in treatment areas relative to control areas. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Gang Membership Prevention Programs |
|
Youth gangs, Gangs, Gang Crime, Crime prevention | This practice includes programs that are designed to deter youth from joining gangs. Programs can be delivered either to a universal population (i.e., all youth regardless of risk level), or to youth identified as being at-risk for gang membership. Programs include preventive awareness strategies and gang membership prevention strategies. The practice is rated Promising for reducing the likelihood that youth will join a gang. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs) |
|
Community policing, Jails, Corrections, Community corrections, Courts, Diversion, Law enforcement, Arrests | This practice comprises specialized police-led, pre-booking jail diversion responses to individuals with mental illness. The goals are to reduce police officers’ injuries and use of force, and to reduce arrests of individuals with mental illness. The practice is rated Ineffective for reducing arrests of individuals with mental illness and reducing trained police officers’ use of force in situations involving mentally ill individuals. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Adult Reentry Programs |
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Mental health, Reentry courts, Jails, Prisons, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Inmate programs, Probation, Community corrections, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts, Law enforcement | This practice involves correctional programs that focus on the transition of individuals from prison into the community. Reentry programs involve treatment or services that have been initiated while the individual is in custody and a follow-up component after the individual is released. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Juvenile Curfew Laws |
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Young juvenile offenders, Crime prevention, Child health and welfare | Juvenile curfew laws are designed to restrict juveniles (below ages 17 or 18) from public places during specific hours such as nighttime (e.g., between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.) or during the school day (e.g., 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.). The primary purpose is to reduce juvenile crime and victimization by keeping them at home with their families or in school. This practice is rated Ineffective for reducing juvenile crime during curfew hours. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners for Forensic Examinations in Cases of Sexual Assault/Rape |
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Juvenile health, Treatment, Violent crime, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime, Victims of crime, Crisis response | This practice uses qualified nurses who are trained to collect forensic evidence in cases of rape and sexual assault (of both adults and children). The practice is rated Effective for providing treatment for sexually transmitted infections and emergency contraception to sexual assault/rape victims but is rated Ineffective for the proportion of complainants who had a rape kit collected. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Street-Level Drug Law Enforcement |
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Problem-oriented policing, Law enforcement operations, Public order offenses | This practice includes targeted-policing approaches for reducing drug and drug-related offenses. This practice is rated Promising in reducing reported, drug-related calls for services and offenses against persons. This practice is rated Ineffective in reducing reported property offenses, public order calls for service, and total offenses. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Metal Detectors and Security Screenings at Airports as a Counterterrorism Strategy |
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Counterterrorism includes strategies, policies, practices, interventions, or tactics that are designed to prevent or respond to terrorism. Target hardening at airports is an example of a defensive counterterrorism intervention that is designed to increase the detection of potential terrorism by placing metal detectors in airports and increasing security screening of passengers before they board planes. This practice is rated Promising for significantly reducing events of airplane hijackings.
Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Juvenile Diversion Programs |
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Drug courts, Juvenile courts, Diversion, Treatment, Victims of crime, Recidivism, Juvenile delinquency, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts | An intervention strategy that redirects youths away from formal processing in the juvenile justice system, while still holding them accountable for their actions. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism rates of juveniles who participated in diversion programming compared with juveniles who were formally processed in the justice system. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Reducing Gun Violence |
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Weapons violations, Gun violence, Problem-oriented policing, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Policing strategies | Reducing gun violence is a persistent public policy concern for communities, policymakers and leaders. To reduce gun violence, several strategies have been deployed including public health approaches (e.g., training and safe gun storage); gun buy-back programs; gun laws; and law enforcement strategies. The practice is rated Promising for reducing violent gun offenses. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Problem-Oriented Policing |
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Community policing, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Crime prevention | These analytic methods are used by police to develop crime prevention and reduction strategies. The practice is rated Promising and led to a significant decline in crime and disorder. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Surveillance |
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Burglary, Larceny/theft, Motor vehicle theft, Sensors/Surveillance, Surveillance, Witnesses, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Situational crime prevention, Law enforcement operations, Law enforcement, Violent crime, Equipment and technology | Public surveillance systems include a network of cameras and components for monitoring, recording, and transmitting video images. Public surveillance cameras are designed to reduce both property and personal crime. This practice is rated Promising for reducing overall crime, property crime, and vehicle crime, and rated No Effects for impacting violent crime. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Second Responder Programs |
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Elder abuse, Problem-oriented policing, Older Victims, Victimization, Crime prevention, Victims of crime, Crisis response | These programs consist of home visits by a crisis response team to follow-up on the initial police response to reports of family violence. The practice is rated No Effect for violent offenses —s the odds of reporting new abuse to the police were slightly higher for households that were assigned to receive a home visit through a second responder program. The practice is rated Ineffective on victimization (i.e. the intervention had no statistically significant effect on victims' reports of abuse). Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Focused Deterrence Strategies |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Assault, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Sentencing, Courts, Juvenile (under 18) | This practice (also referred to as “pulling-levers policing”) includes problem-oriented policing strategies that follow the core principles of deterrence theory. The strategies target specific criminal behavior committed by a small number of individuals who chronically commit offenses, such as youth gang members or those who repeatedly commit violent offenses, who are vulnerable to sanctions and punishment. The practice is rated Promising for reducing crime. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Hot Spots Policing |
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Weapons violations, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Policing strategies, Property crime, Crime prevention, Law enforcement, Crime prevention, Larceny/theft, Patrol, Law enforcement operations, Arrests, Law enforcement, Drugs, Public order offenses | Hot spots policing strategies focus on small geographic areas or places, usually in urban settings, where crime is concentrated. Through hot spots policing strategies, law enforcement agencies can focus limited resources in areas where crime is most likely to occur. This practice is rated Effective for reducing overall crime and rated Promising for reducing violent, property, public order, and drug and alcohol offenses. Date Posted: |