Creating a social network of change agents

Abstract

The American Society of Evidence-Based Policing (ASEBP) mission is to drive the national conversation toward ensuring that the least harmful, most effective, fairest and safest research-based strategies are employed to prevent crime, reduce harm, and improve community wellness. The initial ideas for the organization were rooted in a deep desire to talk to like-minded police officers interested in data-driven research. The society was formed in 2015 when the original members brought the idea of a fledgling group to Chief (Ret.) Jim Bueermann and he supported the idea with funding through the National Police Foundation. Around the same time, the National Institute of Justice LEADS (Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science) program was in its second year, a program designed to bring together police practitioners interested in advancing police research. More of the original ASEBP founders met there, and the rest is history. ASEBP now has over 6000 Twitter followers, over 350 paid members, and a robust annual police research conference aimed at influencing frontline police while bridging gaps between researchers and practitioners. Since then, our executive committee members have gone on to run multiple randomized controlled trials in the vein of rapid research. This chapter will discuss our journey from how it began, who we are today, some of our practitioner-led research and its influence, along with our hope for future contributions to policing.