OVERVIEW
The Center on Policing (COP), formerly known as the Police Institute, was founded by Dr. George Kelling in 2001. In 2018, our Center joined the Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience (CPR) and the Center for Intelligence Studies under the Rutgers Institute for Secure Communities (RISC). Our Center is composed of individuals with a broad range of experience in the public safety arena. The COP’s mission is to integrate research and evidence-based best practices into police operations, violence reduction, problem-solving, community policing, education, training, and the development of criminal justice policy and practice. The center will achieve its goals by focusing on the following three areas: Research, Technology, and Education & Technical Assistance. You can read more about our current and past projects under Initiatives .
RESEARCH
The Center on Policing’s research is meant to have a direct and meaningful impact on public safety agencies throughout the state of New Jersey and across the nation. This includes finding evidence-based best practices that can be implemented in police operations, violence reduction, problem-solving, community policing, and the development of criminal justice policies. Our findings directly help public safety professionals and agencies more effectively protect and serve their communities.
TECHNOLOGY
We are interested in exploring how technology impacts all aspects of public safety and with helping implement new technologies that can aid them in the field. Our Center is interested in the impacts of technology like body-worn cameras, information sharing, digital evidence, and social media. While technology can offer solutions to some challenges which policing faces today, it also poses new challenges and consequences. Those who work in law enforcement and the criminal justice system must understand both the positive and negative impacts of technology on protecting the public.
EDUCATION & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Our Center sees education as an important part of public safety and its mission. We are always looking for opportunities to make education part of what we do, such as sharing our research, helping develop and implement training programs for public safety professionals, using the collective knowledge of the Rutgers community, and reaching out to the community to involve them and inform them about public safety matters.
The Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience (CPR)
Director: John Farmer
The goal of CPR is to partner with academic units within Rutgers University, as well as public, private and non-profit partners, to implement programs and projects that aim to protect vulnerable populations by identifying and disseminating best practices, offering police-community training workshops, consulting with and assisting vulnerable populations on security and civil liberties issues, and engaging in research relevant to the protection of vulnerable populations.
Center for Critical Intelligence Studies
Director: Ava Majlesi
The goal of the Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence (IC CAE) is to leverage ties with federal agencies and others to expand educational and career opportunities for Rutgers students through increased opportunities for interaction with law enforcement and intelligence professionals and practitioners in the field by leveraging classroom and distance learning resources.
