Lorna Ferguson – författare

This book looks at police reform in Canada, arguing that no significant and sustainable reform can occur until steps are taken to answer the question of 'What exactly do we want police to do?' Adding challenge to this is that setting boundaries on what we expect the police to do requires grappling with the complex social problems we ask them to resolve. In public policy language, these are ‘wicked problems’ – social or cultural issues frequently seen as intractable. Authors Huey, Ferguson, and Schulenberg, all policing scholars, draw on a unique collection of data to explore these issues: over 20 years of research (2000– 2021) ranging from in-depth interviews, surveys, and field observations to document analysis and systematic social observation. Pooling this data generates a national-level picture of changes in the policing operational environment over these decades. This book focuses on four particular wicked problems (mental health, substance misuse, homelessness, missing persons) with causes and potential preventative treatments that lie primarily outside the criminal justice system and yet continue to be treated as 'policing problems.' Bringing about changes in public policing requires changes in public policy, and these are precisely the types of wicked problems that need innovative policy solutions. This book is suitable for a wide range of audiences within and outside Canada, including law enforcement and community leaders; scholars and policy experts who specialize in policing; students of criminal justice, organizations, and management; and citizen-consumers of information about policing.

This book looks at police reform in Canada, arguing that no significant and sustainable reform can occur until steps are taken to answer the question of 'What exactly do we want police to do?' Adding challenge to this is that setting boundaries on what we expect the police to do requires grappling with the complex social problems we ask them to resolve. In public policy language, these are ‘wicked problems’ – social or cultural issues frequently seen as intractable. Authors Huey, Ferguson, and Schulenberg, all policing scholars, draw on a unique collection of data to explore these issues: over 20 years of research (2000– 2021) ranging from in-depth interviews, surveys, and field observations to document analysis and systematic social observation. Pooling this data generates a national-level picture of changes in the policing operational environment over these decades. This book focuses on four particular wicked problems (mental health, substance misuse, homelessness, missing persons) with causes and potential preventative treatments that lie primarily outside the criminal justice system and yet continue to be treated as 'policing problems.' Bringing about changes in public policing requires changes in public policy, and these are precisely the types of wicked problems that need innovative policy solutions. This book is suitable for a wide range of audiences within and outside Canada, including law enforcement and community leaders; scholars and policy experts who specialize in policing; students of criminal justice, organizations, and management; and citizen-consumers of information about policing.

This book explores the stress faced by public safety professionals across an array of occupational fields, such as police, correctional officers, paramedics, and firefighters.Bringing together leading scholars from around the world, it showcases cutting-edge quantitative and qualitative research from across three continents and multiple regions within six countries, introduces key concepts related to occupational and organizational stressors, and provides an overview of the state of current research in key topic areas. Those who have yet to be exposed to the concepts associated with occupational stress injuries, or to the range of theories and methodologies, will be provided with an informative introduction to this topic. It explores the state of current literature on this topic, identifies gaps in our knowledge and approaches to understanding the relationship between occupational stressors and different outcomes, and provides potential responses for reducing or ameliorating occupational stressors experienced by public safety personnel.Aimed at students, academic researchers, public safety practitioners, law enforcement analysts, and public policy-makers, this book will appeal to readers who have some knowledge in this area and are interested in learning more about new and emerging research, as well as those who are well-versed on this topic.

This book explores the stress faced by public safety professionals across an array of occupational fields, such as police, correctional officers, paramedics, and firefighters.Bringing together leading scholars from around the world, it showcases cutting-edge quantitative and qualitative research from across three continents and multiple regions within six countries, introduces key concepts related to occupational and organizational stressors, and provides an overview of the state of current research in key topic areas. Those who have yet to be exposed to the concepts associated with occupational stress injuries, or to the range of theories and methodologies, will be provided with an informative introduction to this topic. It explores the state of current literature on this topic, identifies gaps in our knowledge and approaches to understanding the relationship between occupational stressors and different outcomes, and provides potential responses for reducing or ameliorating occupational stressors experienced by public safety personnel.Aimed at students, academic researchers, public safety practitioners, law enforcement analysts, and public policy-makers, this book will appeal to readers who have some knowledge in this area and are interested in learning more about new and emerging research, as well as those who are well-versed on this topic.

Future Policing examines how technologies such as facial recognition, quantum computing, virtual reality, data integration, artificial intelligence, robot cops, electrocardiograms, predictive policing, and investigative genetic genealogy are transforming the practice and governance of contemporary law enforcement.Bringing together interdisciplinary scholars from eight countries, this twenty-chapter volume offers empirically grounded analyses of how technologies are adopted, implemented, regulated, and experienced in practice. Chapters synthesize research evidence, operational experience, and theoretical debate to evaluate claims of efficiency, objectivity, and innovation, while identifying the social, legal, and ethical consequences that accompany digital transformation. At a critical moment when police agencies are investing heavily in technological solutions while navigating a fast-moving landscape of evolving tools, claims, and expectations, this volume provides a much-needed evidence base for understanding what these systems change in practice and what outcomes they realistically produce. And by bringing sustained critical investigation and scrutiny to rapidly institutionalizing tools, the collection establishes a foundation for the next generation of policing scholarship.Rigorous and accessible, Future Policing provides students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, among others, with the insight required to critically assess technological change and understand how innovation is reshaping what policing is, how it is done, and whom it serves.

Future Policing examines how technologies such as facial recognition, quantum computing, virtual reality, data integration, artificial intelligence, robot cops, electrocardiograms, predictive policing, and investigative genetic genealogy are transforming the practice and governance of contemporary law enforcement.Bringing together interdisciplinary scholars from eight countries, this twenty-chapter volume offers empirically grounded analyses of how technologies are adopted, implemented, regulated, and experienced in practice. Chapters synthesize research evidence, operational experience, and theoretical debate to evaluate claims of efficiency, objectivity, and innovation, while identifying the social, legal, and ethical consequences that accompany digital transformation. At a critical moment when police agencies are investing heavily in technological solutions while navigating a fast-moving landscape of evolving tools, claims, and expectations, this volume provides a much-needed evidence base for understanding what these systems change in practice and what outcomes they realistically produce. And by bringing sustained critical investigation and scrutiny to rapidly institutionalizing tools, the collection establishes a foundation for the next generation of policing scholarship.Rigorous and accessible, Future Policing provides students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, among others, with the insight required to critically assess technological change and understand how innovation is reshaping what policing is, how it is done, and whom it serves.

This essential book brings together leading criminology researchers from across the globe to explore the critical role of the ‘evidence base’ in crime and criminal justice. It began with a simple question: if experts were asked to write about the evidence base in their area of expertise, what would they say? Casting the net widely to ensure a diverse range of topics, contributors were given a straightforward brief: 5000 words on any aspect of the evidence base within their field. The result is a lively and accessible collection of papers offering critical assessments and insightful commentary on the state of research evidence.This book is designed for students, academics, policymakers, and practitioners in criminology, criminal justice, and related fields. It addresses the challenges of turning empirical evidence into effective policy and practice, while highlighting methodological, political, and practical issues faced by researchers. The chapters provide research-driven insights into the evidence base across various areas, making this an invaluable resource for understanding the intersection of research and public policy in criminal justice.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Evidence Base.

This brief discusses the significant contribution of police search and rescue to the successful location and resolution of missing persons cases. Across seven chapters, this volume offers a detailed examination of the routine practices of police search and rescue personnel. To do so, it draws from a collection of data, including in-depth interviews with police and thousands of different types of missing persons records. Laced with the stories of missing persons, it presents a detailed overview of what these teams do, the processes and procedures employed, and the tools and technologies in police search and rescue. It explores some of the challenges impacting police search and rescue response, emphasizing how to leverage this work in the field. This book also identifies future trends to address the “What may be next” question in the police search and rescue response to missing persons. As the first analysis of the role of police in search and rescue missions, this brief is of interest to law enforcement professionals and researchers of policing, policymakers, and professionals in psychology, criminology, sociology, and beyond

This brief examines Canadian police incident command response teams’ process of decision-making during major, critical, and public order events. It explores the different factors that influence how police Incident Commanders (ICs) approach their work, and demystifies this work and how it is organized and operationalized.The chapters in this book detail:• The basics of how incident command is structured in Canada.• How incident command models in Canada relate to those in other countries.• Overviews of the training and responsibilities for different incident command types.• First-hand accounts of how ICs approach their work and feel about the decisions they have to make.This book is ideal for practitioners and policymakers who are interested in how this mode of policing works. It is also suitable for policing students in upper-level criminology and criminal justice courses curious about this potential line of work.