Organizations Bridging the Police-Community Gap

In recognition of Black History Month, we’re highlighting organizations that work tirelessly to improve the relationships between people of color and the law enforcement and public safety organizations in their communities. Learn more about each of them, and how you can support them, below. 

The Center for Justice Research 

The Center for Justice Research is based at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. The organization’s location in the third-largest criminal justice system in the United States means it can identify, study, and address topics of all types. Their current work includes Jury Participation, Race and Sentencing Disparities, and they’ve previously published a report on the racial disparities in COVID-19’s outcome on the population.  In 2020, the Center for Justice Research worked with the Houston Mayor’s Police Reform task force which resulted in the report released in November 2020. 

MEASURE

Founded in 2015 in Austin, Texas to address the lack of actionable data policies in community policing, MEASURE has expanded to cover health, education, and economic disparity. In 2020, MEASURE has worked in tandem with the Center for Justice Research to educate the public on how big data in community policing can improve trust and empower citizens. 

NYU Policing Project

Much of the conversation about justice and equality in the criminal justice system is reactive, meaning it follows an uprising or an abuse of power. The Policing Project was founded to proactively change the discussion on law enforcement policy in a way that centers the priorities and safety of those in the community before governmental or policing involvement. In addition to policy recommendations like Use of Force Policy Guidelines, The Policing Project has curated resource libraries on subjects like body-worn cameras and facial-recognition technology. 

Center for Policing Equity (CPE)

The Center for Policing Equity believes that by partnering with law enforcement and utilizing data, a more collaborative system of policing can exist. CPE works to pair up law enforcement agencies with researchers so that each agency can work toward a more equitable operation every day. Some of their recent policies include endorsing ending racial and religious profiling in stop data and advising on a Pennsylvania bill changing law enforcement hiring practices. 

American Society for Evidence-Based Policing (ASEBP)

ASEBP works hard to remove subjectivity from law enforcement by championing data-driven, objective police procedures based on reason and science instead of gut. Some of their work includes the application of evidence-based research on community policing in public safety crisis intervention and incorporating evidence-based approaches into policing strategy.