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Is Evidence-Based Policing...Academic Bullshit?

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WARNING: Provocation of higher education and police statistics ahead. It shouldn't be a surprise that I didn't finish college. Almost 18 years ago, I left my university studies to accept my dream job as a police officer. I'm now in the second half of an awesome career that's spanned: patrol, tactical, investigations, crisis intervention, SWAT, training, and policy. As such, I have a fairly broad perspective and understanding of what effective policing looks like. And doesn't. And what I'm about to do here is poke some golden idols in law enforcement circles. I hope those who are offended punch back. I can take it if they can. There is a movement within law enforcement operating under the banner Evidence-Based Policing . What exactly evidence-based policing is is quite a mystery to some of us lowly beat cops. For example, it's not a unified effort. There are many groups and individuals pushing the evidence-based policing (EBP) term. As a gener