SIOP and DOJ Extend Partnership to Promote Evidence-based Policing Practices

This fall, SIOP and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to extend the partnership between the organizations for another two years. The collaboration between SIOP and the COPS Office will continue to advance shared goals of cultivating more safe and effective law enforcement workplaces through awareness of relevant industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology-informed principles and practices.

I-O researchers and practitioners have a wealth of findings and insights from decades of scientific research and professional engagements with law enforcement agencies. Relevant insights include, but are not limited to, work on promotion, recruitment, and retention in policing settings; management of stress; training protocols; and more. In the first two years of the MOU, SIOP’s Policing Initiative and the COPS Office worked hard to bring these I-O scientific principles and applicable findings directly to law enforcement practitioners. Examples of some of the efforts conducted through the MOU included a webinar for COPS grantees on best practices for utilizing I-O to enhance police recruiting and hiring; COPS newsletter article on applying I-O to positively impact officer well-being; and a DOJ podcast on addressing recruiting shortages. Going forward, SIOP and the COPS Office intend to continue to work together to raise awareness of how applications of I-O based policies and principles can improve officer wellbeing and unit cohesion.

The COPS Office is the federal component of DOJ responsible for advancing community policing nationwide by providing resources needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The partnership between SIOP and the COPS office is part of a broader federal engagement effort by the SIOP Policing Initiative to support utilization of I-O psychology in federal policing advisory conversations, agency activities, and legislating.

SIOP members interested in learning more about the initiative, or SIOP advocacy efforts in general, can email GREAT Committee Chair Kristin Saboe at kristin.saboe@gmail.com.