Chicago, IL – (October 12, 2018) – Benchmark Analytics, a leading software provider of analytics-based police force management and early intervention solutions for law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S., is excited to announce support from the Joyce Foundation – a Chicago-based private foundation that invests in the future of the Great Lakes region – to accelerate research and best practices on police early intervention in four pilot Great Lakes region police departments.
Working in close collaboration with the University of Chicago and the Benchmark Research Consortium (also supported by The Joyce Foundation), this partnership will help close the current research and knowledge gap on how to most accurately identify law enforcement officers who are engaging in problematic conduct and citizen interactions. Equally importantly, the partnership will focus on evidence-based interventions that help alter conduct and support officers with the needed tools to be effective. Indeed, very little evidence is currently available to help law enforcement agencies understand which interventions, wellness programs, training and/or individualized supports have a positive impact on at-risk officers.
Specifically, this partnership will:
- Provide ongoing evaluation and case study for the application of research-based early intervention systems in four police departments
- Facilitate the Benchmark/UChicago Research Consortium by including law enforcement practitioners who are actively implementing a research-based EIS
- Curate and facilitate further research questions for investigation and focus
- Drive policy and national learnings through the evolution of a national benchmark on key early intervention data
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Joyce Foundation, a true leader in evidence-based policy and reform, and the University of Chicago on this critical work,” said Ron Huberman, CEO of Benchmark. “Through the course of this program, we will learn an immense amount about how to support police officers who are struggling. By being able to intervene early in an officer’s career, before serious incidents occur, we can help departments better serve their communities and also better support their officers.”
The Joyce Foundation support will enable the implementation of Benchmark’s research-based early intervention system, called First Sign®, in four Great Lakes area police departments. As part of this project, those departments will also become members of the Benchmark/UChicago Research Consortium, which will be comprised of leading academics, scholars, and practitioners in the fields of early warning and early intervention for police officers. The consortium will facilitate information sharing and best practices creation, as well as ongoing research and policy advancement focused exclusively on municipal policing.