Data-Driven Decisionmaking

On September 11, 2019 at 2PM ET, the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) presented a webinar on “Data-Driven Decisionmaking". This online, interactive, event aimed at engaging participants in a focused discussion on how to institutionalize the use of data in a law enforcement agency. The improved use of data and intelligence is a key principle of the SPI initiative, and SPI maintains a commitment to increasing the capacity of law enforcement agencies to use data and intelligence in decisionmaking.

This webinar discussed what data-driven decisionmaking involves for a law enforcement agency, provided examples of data-driven decisionmaking from both SPI and the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP), and discussed how to institutionalize it in an agency through innovation and officer buy-in. Dr. Scott Decker, SPI Subject Expert, set the context by discussing practices, principles and challenges of institutionalizing the use of data. Attendees then heard from several police departments who are actively using data and intelligence in their daily decisionmaking process, including Dr. Rob Guerette, Miami, Florida, SPI Research Partner, Florida International University and Captain Daniel Thompson, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Police Department.