| Empirically supported policing strategies have become a national priority, driven by desires to use resources efficiently, achieve cost savings, and enhance public safety, with increasing evidence that police activities can improve crime outcomes. Despite promise, scientific credibility, and policy orientation, data-informed practices have not fully diffused into the mainstream of American policing. Rising concern about crime and public safety has also increased attention to the relationship between drugs and alcohol and involvement in the criminal justice system. In particular, impaired driving has continued to be a serious traffic and public safety issue. Federal and state responses to this problem vary, particularly among law enforcement agencies.;Using quantitative methods and an innovations framework, this study's goals were to 1) understand factors that predict the employment of facilitators of evidence-based practices, specifically, strategic partnerships, research and analysis, technology, and impaired driving task forces within and across police departments in the U.S.; and 2) determine the feasibility of community and state level indices to measures aspects of neighborhood disadvantage, residential stability and the strength of DUI laws between states.;This project used five secondary data sources, including a nationally representative survey of local police departments. Multivariate methods were used to examine the influence of organizational, community and state factors on police employment of strategic partnerships, research and analysis, technology, and impaired driving task forces across 1,989 local departments.;Findings revealed that organizational characteristics were stronger predictors of facilitators than community factors and also highlight the challenges faced by smaller police departments. Results show feasibility of community indices and a high level of variation but no clear pattern of state adoption of DUI laws. These findings have policy and practice implications for police leaders, researchers and policymakers. Police agencies should consider investing in their human, organizational and social capital through more efficient and effective recruitment, selection, and hiring and training practices. Additionally, state and federal policymakers should consider making targeted investments in smaller departments to leverage resources through collaborations and partnerships. Finally, new approaches to addressing the issue of alcohol impaired driving at state and local levels should be examined. |
