Bringing Research into Management Meetings

Managerial meetings (like Compstat, but with many other variations) have become a regular practice in many police agencies. These managerial meetings focus on examining changes in crime statistics within police districts or beats, exchanging information about specific investigations and individuals, and providing a forum for officers to present crime-prevention ideas. A common criticism of such meetings is that they focus too much on statistical enumeration, with a lack of dynamic or critical thinking, open exchange, and knowledge transfer. How can these meetings become more dynamic learning opportunities for command staff?

In this demonstration, the MDP team used and developed short video clips intended to spark debate, discussion, and a more dynamic learning environment in these managerial meetings. Such videos can prompt commanders to think about problems in more strategic ways and move beyond discussing statistics or specific cases. Live exchanges with researchers during managerial meetings can also help to connect commanders with experts in the field.