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engaging law
Enforcement

Unlocking Safety leverages partnerships with communities, law enforcement agencies, elected leaders, academic scholars, other similar action-oriented nonprofits, and our Yale-based lab to assess police data and develop insights and solutions to reduce the harm caused by inequitable and racist public safety systems. Our science, applied research, and technical assistance teams develop and use robust tools like the Justice Navigator and the National Justice Database to strengthen their work and make policing data more transparent.

How We Engage With Law Enforcement

Unlocking Safety engages with key decision makers within law enforcement to implement data-driven solutions to reduce harm and increase safety for both community members and officers. We use science to make freedom systemic.That is more than merely a creed, it guides and informs our work. Law enforcement leaders need to have a clear understanding of how policy, deployment strategies, and enforcement behaviors impact community members differently.  This can only be accomplished by a deep dive into their data. Keen analysis and direct community input can guide law enforcement leaders to enact changes that can be measured over time to demonstrate impact.
David Makin Associate Professor,
Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology
Complex Social Interactions Lab at WSU

“We have had the pleasure of working with the [Unlocking Safety] team to develop solutions for improving public safety. Their commitment to advancing policing practices through evidence-based research has been instrumental in helping us create innovative technologies and methodologies that address real-world challenges. What sets [Unlocking Safety] apart is their emphasis on bridging relevancy and rigor, whether it's exploring new methodologies or collaborating with a diverse group of stakeholders to drive meaningful change. As researchers in the Complex Social Interactions Lab, we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with [Unlocking Safety] and contribute to advancing public safety initiatives.”

Meghan Cartmill Records Technician, Menomonie Police Department

“[Menomonie Police Department (MPD)] has always maintained that policing is about serving the public and with the drastic social change that the world experienced in 2020, it was clear that MPD needed to explore new perspectives when it came to analyzing data. Through the successful partnership with Unlocking Safety, MPD was able to step beyond merely analyzing the data and begin the discussions on how to make the information relevant to foster positive change. MPD appreciates the dedication of the Unlocking Safety team for helping the department to serve the City of Menomonie through innovation and collaboration.”

Using Science to Engage Law Enforcement

Our scientific work, conducted in collaboration with the Unlocking Safety lab at Yale University, employs an interdisciplinary approach. We draw on analytic tools from fields such as social psychology, sociology, demography, ethnography, political science, economics, data science, statistics, and public health. Our research utilizes data from law enforcement agencies, public safety systems, community surveys, and focus groups and targets a broad audience and aims to achieve multiple purposes.

We partner with law enforcement agencies to analyze departmental data, crime data, and other relevant information to identify policing inequities and risk factors for systemic biases. Through a data-driven process, we facilitate meaningful changes in public safety systems. By engaging in research and data partnerships, we provide robust insights that directly inform policy and practice changes to reduce police-related harm. Our approach ensures that academic findings are translated into actionable and practical recommendations for implementation on the ground.

Featured Resources

Resource LIBRARY

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PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION

Justice
Navigator

The Justice Navigator is a collection of assessments that identify racial disparities in law enforcement agencies’ patrol and arrest data. It emerged from Unlocking Safety’s efforts to create the National Justice Database, supported by the National Science Foundation. Assessments are available in a public-facing online platform alongside resources for law enforcement agencies and communities. The Justice Navigator provides data-informed insights to facilitate harm reduction and redesign efforts in partnership with police departments.
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Justice
Alliance Hub

The Justice Alliance Hub is an online tool created in collaboration with Microsoft’s Justice Reform Initiative and Valorem Reply. It showcases effective harm reduction strategies, community-driven public safety redesigns, and impactful work across public safety sectors. The Hub provides valuable data and insights to enable collaboration for safer, more equitable public safety systems.
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