Reinvention of Policing

William R. Kelly is professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. Kelly is the author of and contributor to several books and articles on criminal justice, law, and policy, including Criminal Justice at the Crossroads (2015), Confronting Underground Justice (2018), and The Crisis in the American Courts (2021).Daniel P. Mears is distinguished research professor in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. A fellow of the American Society of Criminology and recipient of the Bruce Smith Sr. award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Mears conducts research on crime and policy. His work appears in journal articles and books, including the award-winning American Criminal Justice Policy (2010) and Out-of-Control Criminal Justice (2017).

• AcknowledgementsAbout the AuthorsPreface1. Our Broken Criminal Justice System and the Failure to Put Public Safety FirstThe Costly Failure of American Criminal JusticeFundamentally Misunderstanding Public SafetyWhy Focus on Policing?Improving Policing and Public SafetyStructure of this Book2. American Policing: A Litany of ProblemsIntroductionCritical Problems in Policing—Design FlawsProblem 1: Society Thinks that They Have a Crime Prevention Agency—They Do NotProblem 2: The Police Do Little to Address Known Causes of Offending or CrimeProblem 3: Goals and Mission CreepProblem 4: Lack of Clarity about How Large Police Departments Should BeProblem 5: Increasingly Militarized PoliceProblem 6: Lack of Coordination with Courts and Resistance to ReformCritical Problems in Policing—Harmful ImpactsProblem 7: Failure to Prevent or Reduce CrimeProblem 8: Use of Force: Problems, Effectiveness, and the RidiculousProblem 9: Racism, Ethnic Bias, and ProfilingProblem 10: Police Accountability, Citizen Oversight, and Qualified ImmunityCritical Problems in Policing—Operational IssuesProblem 11: Inadequate Officer TrainingProblem 12: Police Discretion and Officer SupervisionProblem 13: The 911 SystemProblem 14: Police Use of TimeProblem 15: Police Ill-Equipped to Manage the Consequences of Mass ReentryProblem 16: Police Officers’ Attitudes about Their JobsProblem 17: Public Attitudes about PolicingCritical Problems in Policing—Lack of Research, Monitoring, and OversightProblem 18: Little Systematic Reliance on ResearchProblem 19: Accountability and the “Black Box” of PolicingConclusion3. How We Got Here: Policing that Does Not Prioritize Public Safety (Co-authored with Madalena Almanza)IntroductionHistorical Origins of PolicingWhat Contributed to Expansion of Policing as a Reactive, Control-Oriented InstitutionCrimeCivil Disorder and the Johnson PresidencyTough on CrimeThe 1994 Crime BillThe War on DrugsMission Creep: Dumping More and More Responsibilities on Police911 and Reactive PolicingBroken WindowsThe Warrior CopConclusion4. A Clean Slate: What Would an Effective Public Safety Approach Look Like?IntroductionEstablish Clear Goals: Crime Prevention and Public SafetyIdentify and Monitor the Level and Distribution of Recidivism and CrimeIdentify and Monitor the Causes of Recidivism and CrimeUse Evidence-Based Strategies to Prevent Offending and Reduce Recidivism (Individuals)Address Known Causes of Offending and RecidivismFocus on Three Levels of PreventionRely on a Comprehensive ApproachUse Evidence-Based Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Crime (Communities)Address Known Causes of CrimeFocus on Three Levels of PreventionRely on a Comprehensive ApproachCoordinate All EffortsRely on Continuous Research and AssessmentAssess and Improve Policy DesignAssess and Improve Policy ImplementationAssess Policy Impact and Cost-EfficiencyAssess Citizen Views and ExperiencesConclusion5. Reforming Traditional Policing—Eliminating What Doesn’t Work and Keeping and Improving What Does Work to Promote Crime Prevention and Public SafetyIntroductionImprove Traditional Policing—What to EliminateRandom, Preventive Patrol, Especially in Large Geographic AreasTraffic EnforcementAggressive Policing, Zero Tolerance Policing, and Broken Windows PolicingMental Health CallsPolice in SchoolsPredictive PolicingImprove Traditional Policing—What the Police Should Do, Do More, and Do Better911 ReformHot Spots PolicingProblem-Oriented PolicingCommunity PolicingProactive PolicingPolice Recruiting and TrainingPolice Culture: Transitioning from Warrior to GuardianConclusion6. Reinventing Policing within a System that Prioritizes Crime Prevention and Public SafetyIntroductionContemporary and Proposed Police ReformsReinventing American Policing to Accomplish Public SafetyDefining Crime PreventionThe Case for Crime PreventionCrime Prevention Strategies by Law Enforcement in the U.S.Crime Prevention Strategies by Law Enforcement in Other CountriesA New Model for American Policing1. A Lead Agency Charged with Promoting Public Safety2. Research Guidance on Crime and Its Causes3. Multi-Agency Policing4. Addressing Crime through Police Specialization and Improved Training5. Crime Prevention through Collective Efficacy and Informal Social Control6. Crime Prevention through Alternatives to the Police7. Crime Prevention through a Systematic Approach8. Crime Prevention through Improvement of 911 Call Systems9. Leverage Public Support for Reinventing and Evaluating Policing10. Research Evaluation of Implementation, Effectiveness, and Cost-EfficiencyWhat Has to Happen for the Reinvention of Policing to Be SuccessfulAddress Barriers to Reinventing PolicingCreate Incentives for Reinventing PolicingReality: Pragmatic Considerations and Reinvention of American PolicingConclusion7. Better Policing and Public Safety Means More JusticeIntroductionWhat Is Justice?What Do Police Reforms and the Reinvention of Policing Mean for Justice?Conclusion8. Conclusion: Public Safety FirstIntroductionA Litany of Problems (Key Points from Chapter 2)Why Policing Is Broken and Needs to Be Reinvented (Key Points from Chapter 3)A Clean-Slate View of How to Improve Public Safety (Key Points from Chapter 4)Reforming Policing (Key Points from Chapter 5)Reinventing Policing (Key Points from Chapter 6)Improved Public Safety Means More Justice (Key Points from Chapter 7)ConclusionBibliography

Every so often a book on policing comes along that shakes the field of criminology to its core. By calling out the moral and system failures, marshaling the research evidence of the gains made, and charting a path for real reform and social justice, The Reinvention of Policing, by Kelly and Mears, is that book. It is what we need now. It is what we will need for the years ahead.