Dallas Violent Crime Reduction Plan: Year 3 Evaluation
Michael Smith, J.D., Ph.D.
Rob Tillyer, Ph.D.
Brandon Tregle, J.D., Ph.D.
Stephanie M. Cardwell, Ph.D.
David Nam, Ph.D.
The Dallas Crime Plan began in May 2021 and has been underway for three years. This report evaluates the implementation and impact of the Crime Plan from its inception through April 2024, with particular emphasis on Year 3 (May 2023-Apr 2024). It summarizes the methodology and results of an independent, empirical assessment of the implementation and impact of the near- and mid-term strategies over a three-year period since the Crime Plan began in May 2021. The Crime Plan consists of three primary strategies: hot spots policing, place network investigations, and focused deterrence. These strategies were purposely chosen for their strong evidence base, and they were intentionally layered to help reduce violent crime in Dallas over the short, mid, and longer terms. To date, hot spots policing (short-term strategy) and place network investigations (mid-term strategy) have been fully implemented, and their results and impact are detailed in this report. Focused deterrence (long-term strategy) began in June 2023 when DPD led a call-in session for high-risk violent offenders. A second call-in session took place in November 2023. This report also evaluates the implementation and impact of the focused deterrence strategy to date, including the challenges associated with mandating attendance at call-in sessions by individuals on probation or parole.
Tacoma Violent Crime Reduction Plan: Year 2 Evaluation
Michael Smith, J.D., Ph.D.
Rob Tillyer, Ph.D.
Brandon Tregle, J.D., Ph.D.
Stephanie M. Cardwell, Ph.D.
David Nam, Ph.D.
Beginning in July 2022, the Tacoma Police Department began executing a three-part strategic plan to reduce violent crime (hereafter referred to as the “Crime Plan”). As of July 2024, the first phase of the plan (hot spots policing) has been operational across the city for two years, and a commercial corridor between Puyallup Avenue and E. 25th Street is being treated under the problem-oriented, placed-based policing (POPBP) phase of the Crime Plan. The Crime Plan includes a short-term hot spots policing strategy, a mid-term POPBP strategy, and a longer-term focused deterrence strategy, which has not yet begun. These three strategies were purposely designed to work together to help reduce violent crime in the City of Tacoma by focusing on the relatively few places where violent crime is prevalent and the relatively few individuals responsible for committing it.
SAPD Violent Crime Reduction Plan: Year 1 Evaluation
Michael Smith, J.D., Ph.D.
Rob Tillyer, Ph.D.
Brandon Tregle, J.D., Ph.D.
Stephanie M. Cardwell, Ph.D.
Chantal Fahmy, Ph.D.
Beginning in January 2023, the San Antonio Police Department began executing a three-part strategic plan to reduce violent crime (hereafter referred to as the “Crime Plan”). As of January 2024, the first phase of the plan – hot spots policing – has been fully implemented, and the second phase – Problem-Oriented, Place-Based Policing (POPBP) is about to begin. The Crime Plan includes a short-term hot spots policing strategy, a mid-term POPBP strategy, and a longer-term focused deterrence strategy, which has not yet begun. These three strategies were purposely designed to work together to help reduce violent crime in San Antonio by focusing on the relatively few places where violent crime is prevalent and the relatively few individuals responsible for committing it.
Byongook Moon, Ph.D.
John McCluskey, Ph.D.
Guan Saw, Ph.D.
There is a growing concern about violence toward and victimization of teachers across the United States, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. A growing number of empirical studies on violence against teachers suggest a high prevalence of teacher victimization by students at schools and negative effects on victimized teachers. Despite these impressions, there is no nationwide empirical study investigating the prevalence/risk factors and negative consequences of teacher victimization and how schools respond to violence against teachers after resuming in-person classes across the nation. To address this gap, the present two-wave longitudinal research, funded by the National Institute of Justice, has been implemented to understand the prevalence and predictors of seven different types of victimization against teachers at schools, negative effects of teacher victimization, and school responses to teacher victimization among the 50 largest U.S. school districts. This data brief reports findings from Wave I survey, with approximately 4,000 middle and high school teachers responding from among the 50 largest school districts across the U.S., which generate a comprehensive knowledge base about teacher victimization, and will be a resource for the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies to improve and enhance school safety, especially among teachers.
Salt Lake City Violent Crime Reducation Plan: Year 1 Evaluation
Michael Smith, J.D., Ph.D.
Rob Tillyer, Ph.D.
Brandon Tregle, J.D., Ph.D.
Stephanie M. Cardwell, Ph.D.
Chantal Fahmy, Ph.D.
Beginning in late September 2022, the Salt Lake City Police Department began executing a three-part strategic plan to reduce violent crime (hereafter referred to as the “Crime Plan”). As of September 2023, the first phase of the plan – hot spots policing – has been fully implemented, and the second phase is about to begin. The Crime Plan includes a short-term hot spots policing strategy, a mid-term problem-oriented, place-based policing strategy (POPBP), and a longer-term focused deterrence strategy, which has not yet begun. These three strategies were purposely designed to work together to help reduce violent crime in the City of Salt Lake City by focusing on the relatively few places where violent crime is prevalent and the relatively few individuals responsible for committing it.
This report details the Year 1 results from the Salt Lake City Crime Plan. It summarizes the methodology and results of an independent, empirical assessment of the implementation and impact of the hot spots and POPBP strategies during the first year of the Crime Plan: October 2022 through September 2023.
Tacoma Violent Crime Reduction Plan: Year 1 Evaluation
Michael Smith, J.D., Ph.D.
Rob Tillyer, Ph.D.
Brandon Tregle, J.D., Ph.D.
Stephanie M. Cardwell, Ph.D.
Chantal Fahmy, Ph.D.
Beginning in July 2022, the Tacoma Police Department began executing a three-part strategic plan to reduce violent crime (hereafter referred to as the “Crime Plan”). As of June 2023, the first phase of the plan – hot spots policing – has been fully implemented, and the second phase is about to begin. The Crime Plan includes a short-term hot spots policing strategy, a mid-term problem-oriented, place-based policing strategy (POPBP), and a longer-term focused deterrence strategy, which has not yet begun. These three strategies were purposely designed to work together to help reduce violent crime in the City of Tacoma by focusing on the relatively few places where violent crime is prevalent and the relatively few individuals responsible for committing it.
This document serves as the Year 1 report on the results of the Tacoma Crime Plan. It summarizes the methodology and results of an independent, empirical assessment of the implementation and impact of the hot spots strategy during the first year of the Crime Plan: July 2022 through June 2023.
Dallas Violent Crime Reduction Plan: Year 2 Evaluation
Michael Smith, J.D., Ph.D.
Rob Tillyer, Ph.D.
Brandon Tregle, J.D., Ph.D.
Stephanie M. Cardwell, Ph.D.
Chantal Fahmy, Ph.D.
Beginning in May 2021, the Dallas Police Department began executing a three-part strategic plan to reduce violent crime (hereafter referred to as the “Crime Plan”). As of July 2023, all three phases of the Crime Plan are being implemented. These include a short-term hot spots policing strategy, a mid-term place network investigations strategy (PNI), and most recently, a longer-term focused deterrence strategy, which began in June 2023. These three strategies were purposely designed to work together to help reduce violent crime in the City of Dallas by focusing on the relatively few places where violent crime is prevalent (hot spots) and the relatively few individuals responsible for committing it.
This document serves as the Year 2 report on the results of the Dallas Crime Plan. It summarizes the methodology and results of an independent, empirical assessment of the implementation and impact of the near- and mid-term strategies over a two-year period since the Crime Plan began in May 2021.
Byongook Moon, Ph.D.
John McCluskey, Ph.D.
Guan Saw, Ph.D.
This data brief reports findings from Wave I survey, with approximately 4,000 middle and high school teachers responding from among the 50 largest school districts across the U.S., which generate a comprehensive knowledge base about teacher victimization, and will be a resource for the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies to improve and enhance school safety, especially among teachers.
Year 1 Evaluation: Dallas Police Department Violent Crime Reduction Plan (PDF download)
Michael Smith, J.D., Ph.D.
Rob Tillyer, Ph.D.
Brandon Tregle, J.D., Ph.D.
Delivered to the Dallas Police Department September 8, 2022
Byongook Moon, Ph.D.
John McCluskey, Ph.D.
Guan Saw, Ph.D.
There is a growing concern about violence toward and victimization of teachers across the United States, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. A growing number of empirical studies on violence against teachers suggest a high prevalence of teacher victimization by students at schools and negative effects on victimized teachers. Despite these impressions, there is no nationwide empirical study investigating the prevalence/risk factors and negative consequences of teacher victimization and how schools respond to violence against teachers after resuming in-person classes across the nation. To address this gap, the present two-wave longitudinal research, funded by the National Institute of Justice, has been implemented to understand the prevalence and predictors of seven different types of victimization against teachers at schools, negative effects of teacher victimization, and school responses to teacher victimization among the 50 largest U.S. school districts. This data brief reports findings from Wave I survey, with approximately 4,000 middle and high school teachers responding from among the 50 largest school districts across the U.S., which generate a comprehensive knowledge base about teacher victimization, and will be a resource for the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies to improve and enhance school safety, especially among teachers.
Julie M. Baldwin, Ph.D.
Richard D. Hartley, Ph.D.
This project was supported by award number 2015-VV-BX-K020, and delivered to the National Institute of Justice, United States Department of Justice, June 17, 2022
The purpose of this study was to better understand the various VTC program approaches, populations served, participant substance misuse and mental health needs, and basic program and participant outcomes. We conducted a comprehensive longitudinal multisite process, implementation, and short-term outcome evaluation. The study was designed to address four general research questions: (1) What are the structures of the VTC programs? (2) What are the policies and procedures of the VTC programs? (3) What populations are the VTCs serving? (4) What are the basic program and participant outcomes? Outcomes examined include graduation and termination rates, as well as recidivism in terms of self-reported arrests.
Counsel Type in Federal Criminal Court Cases, 2015-18
Kelly Roberts Freeman, National Center for State Courts
Bryce Peterson, CNA Corporation
Richard Hartley, University of Texas at San Antonio
This project was supported by award number 2017-BJ-CX-K055.
This paper examines the role that the type of defense counsel plays in federal justice system outcomes. We begin with a background on federal indigent defense systems and a review of the prior research examining the impact of counsel type on sentencing. We then describe the study and present our descriptive results, which explore the frequency and variation in the use of each type of defense counsel (public defenders, assigned counsel, and private attorneys) and other key variables (disposition, incarceration decision, sentence length, year, district, case, and defendant characteristics). Next, we model the outcomes of incarceration and sentence length to test whether type of counsel significantly impacts these decisions after controlling for legal and extra-legal factors. Lastly, the results are summarized and situated in a broader understanding of the federal justice system.
Violent Crime Reduction Plan Hot Spot Intervention Evaluation: Period 2
Michael Smith, J.D., Ph.D.
Rob Tillyer, Ph.D.
Delivered to the Dallas Police Department February 8, 2022
Assessing Challenges, Needs, and Innovations of Gender-Based Violence Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This survey was developed and distributed in collaboration with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The goal of this project was to document the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dynamics of gender-based violence in addition to the challenges, needs, and innovations that service providers experienced.
Texas Law Enforcement Fitness and Wellness Survey
In September 2019, researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville distributed an electronic survey to all Texas law enforcement agencies seeking information on their policies and procedures related to officer fitness and wellness. The overarching goal of the project was to learn more about how Texas law enforcement agencies are thinking about and responding from a policy perspective to contemporary perspectives on officer wellness. The results from the survey will allow agencies to benchmark their own wellness policies and programs against others in the state and to consider ways, where feasible, to invest in improving the fitness, wellness, and resiliency of their officers.
Smith, M.R. et al. (2020). Texas Law Enforcement Fitness and Wellness Survey Report.
A Multi-Method Investigation of Officer Decision-Making and Force Use or Avoided in Arrest Situations
Led by researchers at UTSA with funding from the IACP / University of Cincinnati Center for Police Research and Policy (sponsored by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation), the UTSA research team partnered the Tulsa Police Department and the Cincinnati Police Department to analyze arrest and use of force encounters over a multiyear period within each community. The goal of this project was to provide a deeper and more contextualized understanding of how and why police use or desist from the use of force and to identify policy, training, or other ways that law enforcement agencies can reduce the need for force, lower the rate of injuries or deaths to civilians, and reduce police victimization when interacting with members of the public under stressful or uncertain conditions.
22
Degree programs
147k+
Internship hours
4
Research centers
$4.8M
in grants awarded across 22 projects
