An ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will consider evidence in the areas of policing institutions, police practices and capacities, and police legitimacy in the international context. The committee will hold a series of five public workshops; each of the workshops will focus on a targeted set of questions of interest to the State Department and serve as the primary data source for a brief consensus report. Drawing on relevant literature, particularly from the international context, the project will inform the State Department’s capacity-building activities aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of local, in-country law enforcement agencies, building the technical skills of foreign law enforcement personnel through training and technical assistance, and assisting in institutional police reform at the local level.

Each of the five (5) workshops will bring together experts to discuss the evidence and its implications for the international sector, as well as practitioners using the evidence to implement policy. Some papers may be commissioned for one or more workshops. The committee will issue brief consensus reports after each public workshop. These reports will include conclusions and recommendations as appropriate, and provide practical guidance on key implications of the evidence for the field.

1. What organizational policies, structures, or practices (e.g., HR and recruiting, legal authorities, reporting lines, etc.) enable a police service to promote the rule of law and protect the population?
2. What are the core knowledge and skills needed for police to promote the rule of law and protect the population? What is known about mechanisms (e.g., basic and continuing education or other capacity building programs) for developing the core skills needed for police to promote the rule of law and protect the population?
3. What policies and practices for police use of force are effective in promoting the rule of law and protecting the population (including officers themselves)? What is known about effective practices for implementing those policies and practices in recruitment, training, and internal affairs?
4. What policing practices build community trust and legitimacy in countries with low-to-moderate criminal justice sector capacity?
5. What are the systemic features needed to effectively control high-level corruption, and how can police effectively contribute to efforts to combat high-level corruption?