Reducing Violent Crime through Improved Police Performance: An Experimental Evaluation of the Policing Leadership Academy

Better managers, and better management practices can improve organizational productivity. The proposed research asks whether increasing the skills of police managers can improve a key measure of police performance, public safety. Using a multi-site randomized evaluation, we will test a comprehensive management and leadership education program for police managers. The program covers topics including strategic thinking, evidence-based crime prevention, building local partnerships, and constitutional policing. Police managers who oversee patrol operations in high-violence areas, drawn from agencies across the United States, will be invited to participate. We will use administrative data to measure public safety, and a combination of administrative and original survey data to measure key mechanisms through which the program may operate, such as policing practices, leadership orientation, and management practices.