The contribution of the "super evidence cop"; key role of police leaders in advancing evidence-based policing

There is considerable evidence that evidence-based policing (EBP) can aid the police in becoming more effective in responding to crime and improving relationships with communities. However, there are many obstacles to institutionalizing such a policy. To overcome the obstacles in instituting EBP, Sherman (1998) suggested the role of the "evidence cop", whether a sworn officer or an outside academic, can facilitate the translation of research into practice. Because policing is ordinarily organized as a strict hierarchical organization, for evidence-based policing to succeed, the head of the organization/the commissioner must take upon him or herself ownership of EBP, becoming what Perry & Wolfowicz (2022) call the "super evidence-cop". This chapter identifies three such super evidence cops who have championed EBP from three different countries: former Commissioner Alsheich from Israel, Commissioner Hyde from Australia, and former Chief James Bueermann from the United States. This article demonstrates how these three Chief Executives in policing acted as "super evidence cops" and were successful in implementing evidence-based policing in their organizations.