Institutionalizing Evidence-Based Policing through a Case of Place Approach in Suffolk County, New York

Abstract

This study details a Bureau of Justice Assistance Smart Policing Initiative case study on the Suffolk County (New York) Police Department’s attempt to institutionalize evidence-based policing practices into patrol deployment. We focus on SCPD’s efforts to implement place-based policing at selected problem locations using the Case of Place strategy. The Case of Place strategy involves applying an investigative, problem-solving approach to places rather than people. Here, we highlight the experience of the agency successfully applying this strategy to a problem motel and also describe the process of institutionalizing place-based policing strategies more broadly. We conclude by discussing future steps and challenges that must be overcome to support the institutionalization of place-based policing in the SCPD and other law enforcement agencies.