U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

Bureau of Justice Assistance 

FS 000315 • SEPTEMBER 2009 

Smart Policing Initiative 

By Michael Medaris, BJA Senior Policy Advisor, and 

Alissa Huntoon, BJA Policy Advisor 

Offering tools and knowledge that will assist state and local law enforcement in 

providing quality police services is an important and fundamental responsibility of 

the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). In the current economy, many law enforcement 

agencies are facing personnel layoffs and resource reductions while struggling with 

chronic crime. Developing tactics and strategies that are effective, efficient, and 

economical—as measured by reduced crime and higher case closure rates—would 

be of great benefit to law enforcement agencies in this era of budget constraints and 

limited staffing. The goal of the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) is to identify those tactics, 

practices, and strategies. 

To do so, SPI seeks either to build on the concepts of offender-based and placebased (“hotspot”) policing by replicating evidence-based practices or to encourage 

exploration of new, unique solutions to public safety problems and criminogenic 

circumstances. Several authoritative longitudinal projects, in the United States1 and 

the United Kingdom,2 have demonstrated that a small number of offenders commit a 

disproportionate amount of crime. It is also well-documented3 that crime reports and 

calls for service often cluster predominantly at specific locations or in narrow, easily 

defined areas. While demonstrating that random patrol and rapid response do not 

measurably reduce crime, substantial research also demonstrates that place-based 

policing can reduce violent crime and neighborhood disorder. These findings reveal that 

effective policing requires a tightly focused, collaborative approach that is measurable; 

based on sound, detailed analysis; and includes policies and procedures that promote 

and support accountability. 

Under a national competitive solicitation, BJA awarded SPI grants to 10 law 

enforcement agencies throughout the United States (see table). These agencies were 

selected to create a sampling that is diverse in the size of its agencies and in the type 

of crime problem or criminogenic circumstances under consideration. BJA required 

applicants to enlist a research partner, demonstrate the ability to collect and analyze 

data, and incorporate realistic and meaningful performance measures to assess the 

effectiveness of their efforts. 

1Wolfgang, M.E., Figlio, R.M., and Sellin, T. 1972. Delinquency in a Birth Cohort. Chicago, IL: University of 

Chicago Press.

 2Home Office. 1989. Criminal and Custodial Careers of Those Born in 1951, 1958 and 1963. Statistical Bulletin. 

London: Home Office.

 3Weisburd, D., Bushway, S., Lum, C., and Yang, S. 2004. Trajectories of crime at places: A longitudinal study of 

street segments in the City of Seattle. Criminology 42(2):283–321; Sherman, L.W. and Weisburd, D. 1995. General 

deterrent effects of police patrol in crime hot-spots: A randomized, controlled trial. Justice Quarterly 12(4):625–648. 

With awards totaling nearly $4 million, 

BJA is pleased to announce the Smart 

Policing Initiative. BJA hopes these 

awards, which were given to 10 law 

enforcement agencies, will encourage 

the use of evidence-based practices 

to address contemporary public safety 

problems without sacrificing innovation 

at the local level. BJA will publish the 

lessons learned from this effort for use 

by other law enforcement agencies 

confronted with similar crime problems 

and seeking evidence-based approaches 

to resolve them. 

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR 

KEY POINTS 

•	 The	goal	of	the	Smart	Policing	Initiative	

(SPI) is to identify law enforcement 

tactics and strategies that are effective, 

efficient, and economical. 

•	 SPI	seeks	to	build	on	offenderbased and place-based policing by 

replicating evidence-based practices 

or to encourage exploration of new, 

unique solutions to public safety 

problems. 

•	 Grantees	described	a	process	to	

identify crime problems they will 

address and will enlist a research 

partner to assess the effectiveness of 

their SPI efforts. 

1 • Fact Sheet 
Police Department, Boston, MA Robbery, burglary: Place- and 

(Harvard University) offender-based policing 

Police Department, Glendale, AZ Crime-prone neighborhoods: 

(Arizona State University) Problem-oriented policing 

Police Department, Lansing, MI Neighborhood drug markets: 

(Michigan State University) Pulling Levers strategy 

Police Department, Los Angeles, CA Gun violence: Place- and 

(Justice and Security Strategies) offender-based policing 

Police Department, Memphis, TN Robbery, burglary: Place- and 

(University of Memphis) offender-based policing 

Sheriff’s Office, Palm Beach, FL Robbery: Victim-based (Hispanic) 

(Florida State University) policing 

Police Department, Philadelphia, PA Violent crime: Place-, offender-, and 

(Temple University) holistic-based policing 

Police Department, Reno, NV Juvenile prescription drug abuse: 

(University of Nevada) Victim- and offender-based policing 

Police Department, Savannah, GA Violent, repeat offenders: 

(Savannah State University) Offender-based policing 

Police Department, Winston-Salem, Violence, drug markets: 

NC (Winston-Salem University) Intelligence-led policing 

Smart Policing Initiative Grantees 

Agency 

(Research Partner) 

Crime Problem and 

Police Response 

CONTACT US 

Bureau of Justice Assistance 

Office of Justice Programs 

810 Seventh Street NW. 

Washington, DC 20531 

Phone: 202–616–6500 

Toll-free: 1–866–859–2687 

E-mail: AskBJA@usdoj.gov 

Web site: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA 

*FS~000315*

BJA believes that the experiences of these 10 agencies will add to the body of 

knowledge of effective police tactics and strategies. To support the SPI grantees with 

training and technical assistance, BJA also awarded a grant to the CNA Corporation, 

which has extensive experience in law enforcement operations and evaluation. CNA 

will assist SPI agencies in developing and implementing strategies and, based on 

the availability of funds, will provide training and technical assistance to other law 

enforcement agencies in coordination with BJA. 

For more information, please contact either Michael Medaris, Senior Policy Advisor, 

at michael.medaris@usdoj.gov, or Alissa Huntoon, Policy Advisor, at alissa.huntoon@ 

usdoj.gov. 

2 • Fact Sheet