Profs on Cops

Does the nature of a citizen’s encounter with a policeofficer depend on whether that officer is Black or white, male or female, a Democrat or a Republican, experienced or inexperienced? Roman Rivera, an economist and criminologist at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, offers evidence that race and gender are good predictors of whether an officer will use force and/or make an arrest. Demographics matter most whenless serious crimes are committed.

 Professor Jens Ludwig of the University of Chicago has been studying gun violence for much of his adult life.  He offers fresh insights into the subject in his new book, Unforgiving Places (University of Chicago Press, 2025). In a wide-ranging conversation, Ludwig argues that we need neighborhoods with “more eyes on the street” to prevent verbal altercationsfrom escalating and multiple programs that teach young people to be less impulsive and more deliberate in situations where pride and anger can easily explode.

What are “ghost guns” and why do law enforcement officials worry so much about these easily-assembled firearms?  Dr. Garen Wintemute, Distinguished Professor of Emergency Medicine at University of California-Davis, offers a primer on the subject, which he has studied in depth. He distinguishes between ghost guns and other firearms, explains the BATF’s 2022 ghost gun rule, and discusses the Supreme Court’s 2025 ruling on ghost guns in Bondi v Vanderstok.  As a coda, Dr. Wintemute, an emergency department physician, vividly describes what he sees when a gunshot victim is treated at the UC-Davis Level 1 trauma center.

At the urging of Oeindrila Dube and her colleagues, the Chicago Police Department has adopted a new police training program called Situational Decision-making (or Sit-D). This training regimen, which includes simulations and realistic videos, integrates principles of behavioral economics to reduce cognitive bias when police officers make quick decisions in the field. Dube, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, explains how Sit-D changes the way that police officers process information and make decisions. The use of non- lethal force has declined by 23 percent and discretionary arrests have declined by 23 percent, while officer safety has improved. Other police departments have expressed interest in this new approach.

Many school districts in the U.S. hire local police officers to make schools safer. Supporters say school resource officers (SROs) reduce crime through law enforcement and mentoring; critics say they transform petty crimes into school suspensions and arrests that disrupt student progress, especially for Black male students. According to Lucy Sorensen, Associate Professor of Public Affairs at the University at Albany, there is some truth to both arguments. Her studies show that SROs reduce physical fights and altercations but increase school suspensions, expulsions, and arrests. Reforms include reducing the number of SROs, redefining their roles, or better training.

A remarkable Irish-American, Francis O’Neill, rose up through the ranks of the Chicago police force in the late 19 th century to become the Chief of Police. He would later publish one of the finest collections of Irish folk music ever assembled, with 1,800 tunes that he and his “collectors” (many of them cops) committed to memory and then to print. Join Michael O’Malley, Professor of History at George Mason University and author of BEAT COP, for a lively discussion of policing, Irish music, and how the two intersected.

Recorded on Nov 27, 2024.

Most local law enforcement agencies have their own closed-circuit TV systems, aimed at curbing crime and apprehending criminals. According to Eric Piza, Professor of Criminology at Northeastern University, who has studied this in Newark, N.J. and elsewhere, CCTV systems can reduce both violent crime and property crime if linked to strategic staff deployment. In the absence of that integrated approach, CCTV systems may still reduce property crime, such as auto thefts.

Recorded on Nov 22, 2024.

When a serious crime is in progress, lethal force is sometimes necessary. But police officers often face big information deficits when trying to decide whether to shoot a suspect. David Klinger, Professor of Criminology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, has been there himself, as a police officer in Los Angeles and Redmond, Washington. And he has interviewed over 100 police officers nationwide to learn more. He discusses how group dynamics, fragmentary information, and a sense of urgency create pressure-cooker situations where police sometimes make mistakes – not shooting when they should or shooting when they shouldn’t.

Some police department buildings strike observers as “welcoming,” while others seem intimidating or austere.  Research by Georgetown University Assistant Professor of Public Policy Andrea Headley finds that a police department’s appearance matters, that more welcoming structures are associated with more positive affect from citizens.  But race/ethnicity and prior arrest records moderate that relationship in interesting ways.  Learn how architectural design, landscape, and even signage can create lasting impressions and influence how citizens view the police.

Recorded on July 9, 2024