Evidence Assessments

In CEBCP’s Criminal Justice Policy program, we not only analyze existing justice issues but also give municipalities and local, state, and national justice agencies the tools to build their own evidence-based policies. We specialize in conducting evidence assessments to provide agencies with the ‘big picture’ view of how their existing and planned strategies map onto the research evidence.


The Evidence-Based Policing Matrix

The Evidence-Based Policing Matrix is a research-to-practice tool designed to assist police departments in the U.S. and internationally to develop new evidence-based practices or assess their current strategies against the research base. The Matrix was created by Cynthia Lum, Christopher Koper, and Cody Telep.

Explore the Matrix or Read more about the Matrix

Use the Matrix to conduct an evidence-assessment of an agency’s patrol portfolio. See an example from Derbyshire Police Force, by Veigas and Lum: One page summaryvideoslides, and full paper.


Effective Police Investigative Practices: An Evidence-Assessment of the Research

Cynthia Lum (PI), Christopher Koper (PI), and Heather Prince (GRA)

Detective work is a mainstay of modern law enforcement, but its effectiveness has been much less evaluated than patrol work. To explore what is known about effective investigative practices and to identify evidence gaps, Arnold Ventures funded the CEBCP to assess the current state of empirical research on investigations and hold a special workshop with experts in the field to explore what more is needed in this important area.

Prince, H., Lum, C., & Koper, C.S. (2021). Effective police investigative practices: An evidence-assessment of the research. Policing: An International Journal (of Strategies and Management), 44(4), 683-707.

Lum, C., Koper, C.S., & Prince, H. (2021). Building Evidence for Effective Investigations: A Collaborative Workshop to Identify Research Needs. Workshop summary to Arnold Ventures. Fairfax, VA: Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, George Mason University.


An Evidence-Assessment of the Recommendations of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing

The Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing is one of the most significant documents for law enforcement in modern history. The Task Force was charged by President Obama in 2014 to “examine ways of fostering strong, collaborative relationships between local law enforcement and the communities they protect and to make recommendations to the President on the ways policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust” (Final Report, p. 5). But where should law enforcement agencies begin in implementing these recommendations? With a grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the Institute for Community-Police Relations of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has collaborated with researchers from George Mason University’s (GMU) Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy to create an evidence-based Blueprint for 21st Century Policing. The research team was charged with reviewing existing research knowledge about those Task Force recommendations relevant to state and local law enforcement, highlighting promising efforts based on research knowledge, and identifying issues that need more research and testing.

REPORT: An Evidence-Assessment of the Recommendations of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (by C. Lum, C.S. Koper, C. Gill, J. Hibdon, C. Telep, and L. Robinson)


The Airport Security Matrix

Cynthia Lum, David Weisburd, 

As part of CEBCP’s Evaluation of the Transportation Security Administration’s Comprehensive Strategy to Security at Airports we created the Airport Security Matrix to help TSA map its security playbook against the situational crime prevention evidence base.

Evidence-assessment of the TSA Playbook (redacted version)


Federal Protective Service

Cynthia Lum (PI), Breanne Cave, and Jordan Nichols

CEBCP conducted an evidence assessment of the Interagency Security Committee’s security criteria and building security determinations for the Federal Protective Service.

Lum, Cynthia, Breanne Cave and Jordan Nichols. (2017). Are Federal Security Efforts Evidence-Based? Security Journal. DOI: 10.1057/s41284-017-0092-3.


Assessing Seattle’s Crime Prevention Programs

Charlotte Gill (PI) and the full CEBCP team

CEBCP reviewed the City of Seattle’s portfolio of crime prevention programs and assessed them against existing evidence to identify areas for additional evaluation and City funding.