Policing: The New Evidence

Fall 2004, Volume 26, Number 2

Wesley G. Skogan

Scientific research on policing is still comparatively new. It first took off in the U.S. in the turbulence of the late 1960s, following passage of the 1968 Omnibus Crime and Safe Streets Act. In the intervening years, the challenges of 9/11 and international terrorism, advances in information technology, and the globalization of crime, have placed heavy burdens on police forces at all levels.

Wesley G. Skogan is one of the nation’s leading experts on policing. A political scientist and faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research, he is the author of two new studies: The first is a survey of fairness and effectiveness in policing done by National Research Council’s Committee to Review Research on Police Policy and Practices, which he chaired. The second is the 10-year report on community policing in Chicago (CAPS). These studies highlight new evidence on what is and is not working in law enforcement. They also indicate directions for future research and possible
solutions to current policing problems. Please see the two related stories that follow.

• Fairness and Effectiveness in Policing: The New Evidence
• 10 Years of Community Policing, Chicago Style (CAPS)