University of Chicago Crime Lab

We’re getting ready for the arrival of our next cohort of the Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA)—less than two weeks away. ? Hear from recent graduates Alia Harvey-Quinn, Tony Woods, and Ben “Taco” Owens about how the academy is transforming the CVI field. ? From managing community-based organizations to implementing strategies at scale, through the academy, we are equipping these leaders with the skills to strengthen their teams and foster collaboration among CVI leaders to improve public safety across the country.

What do you do when you’re in DC for the final week of this cohort’s University of Chicago Crime Lab ‘s Policing Leadership Academy? You gather a few alumni and go to Capital Hill and explain this transformational program to staffers from the United States Congress. Special thanks to Captain Karla Baldini of the Atlanta Police Department, Major Jason Bennett of the Baltimore Police Department, and Captain Joseph Green of the Philadelphia Police Department for sharing their experiences and how this leadership education has helped them create safer communities. Kristen M., Meredith Stricker , Roseanna Ander

Yesterday, graduates of the University of Chicago Crime Lab's Policing Leadership Academy(PLA) spoke at the United States Senate regarding their experiences at the PLA. We delved into the critical role of police middle management – the commanders, captains and majors who oversee precincts and station houses.?Currently, there are no national standards or best practices for training these essential leaders, but the Policing Leadership Academy is stepping in to fill this gap. The PLA offers a transformative curriculum designed to empower commanders with the skills necessary to improve public safety and build community trust.?PLA’s innovative approach is driving positive change across the country. We extend our appreciation to Captain Karla Baldini of the Atlanta Police Department, Major Jason Bennett of the Baltimore Police Department, and Captain Joseph Green of the Philadelphia Police Department for their thought-provoking comments and commitment to safer communities. ?

Proud to co-author this article in International Association of Chiefs of Police Chief Magazine along with my colleague Meredith Stricker from the University of Chicago Crime Lab discussing how a partnership between research and policing can result in safer communities. "The Policing Leadership Academy (PLA) is a comprehensive five-month leadership education program for rising police leaders that combines the world-class leadership and management education of the University of Chicago with training from world-class policing experts on the skills needed to implement the data-driven management that has proven successful in improving public safety. The program is being evaluated by the Crime Lab to measure if the training intervention improves police departments and the communities they serve. Thanks to the philanthropic support from foundations and business leaders—those who inherently understand how critical good management and leadership practices are to success—the PLA is offered to U.S. police commanders at no cost to them or their department. The PLA, now on its third cohort, has the potential for truly widespread impact. Because gun violence in the United States is disproportionately concentrated in the 50 largest cities, the relatively small number of people who run each city’s police department have outsized influence on the nation’s greatest public safety challenge. In Chicago, for example, each of the city’s 22 districts has a single commander who oversees several hundred officers who, in turn, serve about 130,000 people. In other words, improving the effectiveness of a relatively small number of leaders—which can be done via the PLA—will have a vastly outsized influence on the safety of U.S. communities. That’s also why the PLA aims to serve officers from around the United States; so far, participants have come from 64 localities. The PLA offers free resources to departments and is led by some of the leading police experts in the world including former generals, police chiefs, government officials, attorneys, and physicians. Police chiefs across the United States can take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen their agency’s capability to leverage data for significant violence reductions." https://lnkd.in/eJ9CxVmg

Meet Alivia Langley, the Program Manager for Connecticut Violence Intervention and Prevention and a graduate of the 2023 inaugural cohort of the University of Chicago Crime Lab's Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA). We spoke with Alivia to learn how her experience in the CVILA has shaped her work. "I knew how important an effective database was to be able to tell the story of our workers and the work that they’re doing and the community violence that we’re stopping. As I started going through the sessions and learning about how important data was and how we could use it to really change someone’s life, that sealed the deal for me." Read about Alivia's CVILA capstone project: https://lnkd.in/gRDVHZjr Learn more about the CVILA: https://lnkd.in/g2KCUgqK

The University of Chicago Crime Lab's Policing Leadership Academy (PLA) is designed to increase safety and fairness in America’s most violent neighborhoods. The capstone project isn’t an assignment that ends after a participant graduates from the PLA—it is a starting point for implementing a solution to a pressing problem in their home departments. We are grateful for the opportunity to present at the IACP Conference 2024 Boston earlier this week. Our panel, facilitated by Dr. Anthony Braga, featured PLA graduates Captain Sammy Shaffer from Knoxville Police Department, Captain Stephanie Drescher of the Madison Police Department, Lieutenant Jesse Puffer from the Ft. McDowell Police Department, and Deputy Chief Arnold Williams of the Detroit Police Department. They presented their innovative capstones which continue to improve public safety in their communities. Congratulations to these alumni for their commitment to relentless problem solving and stakeholder collaboration. We could not be prouder of their achievements and look forward to hearing more success from them in the future.

We’re thrilled to share that Katie Hill will become the new Executive Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab.?? ? Katie brings a wealth of experience to this role.?She has approached our nation’s gun violence crisis and the challenges with our justice system from almost every angle of policy and legal work.? ? With Katie on board, our Founding Executive Director Roseanna Ander will transition to a new leadership role within the organization, focused on ensuring our Labs have the support needed as we seek to have national and even international impact to create change at scale. ? Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/gx2g5cCG Read more in the Chicago Sun-Times: https://lnkd.in/gXSxKgat

“This program has been the best professional experience I have ever had in my entire life… Not only am I taking away fantastic relationships, opportunities, networking, and resources, but my knowledge base and skills have expanded for sure.” ? Lieutenant Steven?Storwick of the Tacoma Police Department highlights the high-quality education that he received as a graduate of the second cohort of leaders from the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Policing Leadership Academy. ? Learn?more about the Policing Leadership Academy: https://lnkd.in/gb4ExXvc

Thank you to the University of Chicago Crime Lab for hosting an informative webinar on Oct. 10, exploring the latest findings on behavioral science interventions in the fight against gun violence. It was an honor to hear from panelists Kimberley Smith, Monica B. and Jonathan Davis of the Crime Lab; Nour Abdul-Razzak of the UChicago Inclusive Economy Lab; David R Williams of Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.; Brightpoint's own Julia Noobler, director of mental health and wellness; and Jadine Chou of Chicago Public Schools. Through Choose to Change?, Julia and her team offer mental health resources, mentorship, safe spaces, community-based wraparound support, and trauma-informed cognitive behavioral group therapy. Together, we are working toward impactful solutions for our communities. #Brightpoint #YAP #CPS #UChicagoCrimeLab #GunViolencePrevention #ChooseToChange #BehavioralScience ?

Our latest work shows that it is possible to create large and lasting reductions in gun violence and imprisonment among a population that has historically been hard to reach: Youth who are increasingly disconnected from school. ? Today, the?University of Chicago Crime Lab?released a policy brief featuring results from a study of Choose to Change (C2C), a partnership between nonprofits?Brightpoint?and?Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP)?with support from?Chicago Public Schools. ???? Learn more:?https://lnkd.in/gG_TBYAu