Highlights from the Benchmark Summit 2024 Sessions
Transforming Frontline Supervision: Leadership Roles in Modern Policing
Ron Huberman, Chief Executive Officer at Benchmark Analytics, and Commissioner Michael Harrison, former commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department and superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, discuss the importance of wellness and excellence in police departments, especially focusing on the critical role of frontline supervisors. They highlight that supervisors are vital for shaping officers’ performance and behavior, as they coach and correct officers, preventing mistakes from turning into bad behavior.
Commissioner Harrison emphasizes that to maintain consistency across a department, supervisors need clear guidance and tools to address performance issues uniformly.
Revolutionizing Policing: Proactive Resource Allocation Through Data and Automation
Lawrence Sherman, Chief Executive Officer of Benchmark Cambridge and Professor Emeritus at the University of Cambridge Institute of Criminology, discusses how automation and data-driven tools can revolutionize law enforcement by helping agencies triage cases and allocate resources more effectively.
The session also explains how victims can be prioritized by the harm they’ve experienced, like how officers at risk are identified. For example, in Dorset, automation helped uncover high-harm victims who were previously overlooked.
A key takeaway is the push for proactive policing—identifying repeat offenders and high-risk victims before further harm occurs, rather than reacting to each case equally. In the video, Professor Sherman talks how the “high/medium/low” risk model as too simplistic, arguing for a more nuanced, harm-based triage system.
Building the Pyramid of Officer Advocacy: Data at Every Layer
Chief Research Officer at Benchmark Analytics, Nick Montgomery, outlines how law enforcement agencies are capturing and using data at various stages of an officer’s career—from academy and field training to ongoing certification and internal affairs reviews.
This data includes performance on basic tasks, compliance documentation, and internal investigations. While much of it is used for oversight and accountability, the key focus is on leveraging this information to support officers proactively through early intervention and wellness initiatives. The goal is to detect patterns before issues arise, maintain readiness for duty, and offer targeted support—using existing data, not requiring new sources.
Evidence-Based Practices That Reduce Risk in Law Enforcement
Three years ago, a Minnesota-based insurance pool executive approached Benchmark Analytics with a concern: rising claim costs and increasing severity were threatening financial stability. This prompted a critical research question—why do some law enforcement agencies, even when controlling for factors like crime rates and demographics, experience significantly fewer high-risk incidents?
To explore this, the Benchmark team launched a multi-year study, interviewing over 100 police leaders and analyzing both qualitative insights and quantitative claims data. Agencies were surveyed on policies, procedures, wellness efforts, and equipment like body-worn cameras. By comparing claims data before and after implementing certain practices, researchers identified patterns in risk reduction.
This led to the discovery of evidence-based practices strongly correlated with fewer and less severe claims. These practices validate the experience of top-performing agencies and offer a roadmap for others.
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