Applied Police Research

‘In academia we teach and learn a lot about criminal justice and police research: methodology, design, statistical analysis, instrument development, measurement - all essential to producing policy relevant knowledge. Yet, equally important but often ignored, is the nitty gritty of such research: how to approach a police department and establish an ongoing research relationship; how to ensure that research is carried out as designed; how to manage the unavoidable crises that arise when attempting research in a complex organization; how to exit the research setting; how to publish the findings in ways that preserve the research/host organization relationship and remains loyal to the discoveries; how to produce research that benefits both the host organization and the career aspirations of the researcher; and so on.

Until now, we have had little guidance in how to think about such issues. Applied Police Research, written by academics who have struggled with such issues throughout distinguished careers, provides such practical wisdom. No one launching a career in criminal justice or police research should miss it.’ - George Kelling, Emeritus Professor, Rutgers University and Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute, USA

‘A refreshingly down-to-earth collection of essays, in which experienced police researchers tell us what they've learned - quite candidly in some cases - about the promise and the perils of various types of scholar/practitioner engagement. There is a selflessness in this enterprise, born of an obviously shared and deep commitment to improve policing.’ - Malcolm K. Sparrow, Professor of the Practice of Public Management, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA

'This volume makes a very nice addition to the growing body of literature on police-researcher relations. Each author contributes some important and distinctive insights and advice to the general themes that run through all of the chapters. Whether a reader is new to police research or an old hand, they are likely to find something in this volume of interest and importance to their work.'—Michael S. Scott, JD, Director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, Chicago, IL