Operationalizing Evidence-Based Practices: Pushing Analytics to the Edge of Policing

Chief Rich Johnston

Chief, Barrie Police Service

Chief Johnston brings 28 years of dedicated service to policing, having held a wide range of roles within the Barrie Police Service—from front-line operations to senior executive leadership. His professional journey reflects a deep commitment to advancing modern, evidence-based approaches in law enforcement.

Academically accomplished, Chief Johnston holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Philosophy from Queen’s University, a Master of Arts in Leadership Studies from the University of Guelph, and a Master of Studies in Applied Criminology and Police Management from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

A nationally recognized advocate for Evidence-Based Policing, Chief Johnston currently serves as Director of Research on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Society of Evidence Based Policing. He is also a Board Member of the Coalition for Canadian Police Reform and Strategy and Governance Working Group Lead on the Research Advisory Committee for the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. His contributions to the field have been recognized through his selection as a National Institute of Justice L.E.A.D.S. Scholar (Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science).

In 2022, Chief Johnston was inducted into the George Mason University Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame and received the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Excellence in Leadership Award, underscoring his impact as a forward-thinking and influential leader in Canadian policing.

Joel Caplan

Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and Collaborations at Rutgers University

Dr. Joel Caplan works with cities and towns to prevent crime, improve community policing, and make data-informed decisions that enhance public safety. He specializes in GIS mapping and crime pattern analysis, and co-developed Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM). RTM diagnoses environmental features that connect with crime. It helps people develop the best strategies for crime deterrence and prevention. RTM is the underlying technology behind Simsi, a Rutgers University start-up company. Joel is the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and Collaborations at Rutgers University, a Professor at Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice (SCJ), and serves as Director of the Rutgers Center on Public Security (RCPS). He has professional experience as a police officer, 9-1-1 dispatcher and emergency medical technician. Joel has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and two books, “Risk-Based Policing: Evidence-Based Crime Prevention with Big Data and Spatial Analytics” (2018) and "Risk Terrain Modeling: Crime Prevention and Risk Reduction" (2016). Joel earned his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania (2008) and is also a proud alumnus of Rutgers University (2004) and The College of New Jersey (2003).

Jen Lampert

Solutions Architect – Public Safety Solutions

Jen Lampert is a Senior Solutions Architect for the Justice and Public Safety team at SAS, a leading analytics company that has supported multiple industries including Local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies, for over 45 years. At SAS, Jen develops solutions for public safety agencies and supports public safety goals from a technical perspective, maximizing agencies’ ability to address crime issues.

Jen brings her passion for law enforcement and public safety domain expertise to SAS’ Justice and Public Safety team from Cary Police Department, North Carolina, where she was a crime analyst for 15 years.

As CPD’s first crime analyst, Jen developed and advanced the adoption of the crime analysis program to support operations throughout the agency. Jen introduced research-based crime series detection methods, geographic crime analysis, and was an early adopter of link analysis within the agency. Jen also developed support analyses for the agency’s CompStat program, budgetary funding, and resource allocation.

Jen helped implement SAS at Cary PD, where she piloted the use of SAS at the Town of Cary. As part of the project, she migrated analytics delivered through traditional methods like spreadsheets and MS Access to SAS data analytics. The transition to SAS improved crime analytics accuracy, automation, and speed of delivery to the agency.

Jen has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science – Criminal Justice Concentration from North Carolina State university and has taken several supplemental crime analysis courses during her career.

Brian Acken

Director, SAS Justice and Public Safety Team

Brian Acken brings 38 years of law-enforcement experience to his role with the SAS Justice and Public Safety Team. Brian currently focuses on police technology and data systems, investigative practices, police department transparency, and other current challenges in law enforcement.

Progressing through the ranks within the Pennsylvania State Police, Brian worked in a variety of patrol and investigative functions starting in 1986, culminating in a role as a Major in the Bureau of Research and Development.

After retiring from PSP in 2012, Brian served as Chief Information Officer of the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland, gaining experience in management and labor relations, strategic planning, budgeting, statistical reporting, product development and life cycle support along with support for the expansion of open data portals. In 2016, Brian joined the Police Research Program at RTI International where his hands-on experience in investigations, computer forensics, and internal affairs informed his work on several significant initiatives in the field of policing research including NCS-X, which supports the nationwide transition to NIBRS crime statistics reporting, the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, the commercialization of the Calls for Service software, and analysis of videos from police body cameras.

At SAS, through the development of the Crime Insights solution, Brian continues to focus on the application of the NIBRS data model as a force multiplier for improved Crime Analysis and the advancement of evidence-based policing practices.

Brian is a 2023 graduate of Penn State University, where he completed a Bachelor's degree in the Computer Science, Security and Risk Analysis program.

Madison Charman

Organizational Researcher, Barrie Police Service

Madison works as an Organizational Researcher at the Barrie Police Service. With a BA, MA and PhD (in-progress) in criminology, she blends her academic expertise with a firsthand understanding of police operations. Madison is at the forefront of merging evidence-based methodologies with practical applications within law enforcement. In her role, she brings theoretical insights and actively translates them into actionable strategies, thereby making sure research has a seat at the table in operational and strategic decision-making at the Barrie Police Service. Madison has been working with Barrie Police Service in applied research since 2020. Madison's doctoral research at Ontario Tech University looks at public acceptance of police technology and its impact on police legitimacy and trust.

Renée J. Mitchell, J.D., Ph.D.

Senior Research Scientist, RTI International

Renée J. Mitchell is a Senior Research Scientist at RTI International, where she leads projects focused on advancing evidence-based policing through data-driven research and practice. She served 22 years with the Sacramento Police Department, retiring at the rank of sergeant, and later worked as Principal Researcher of Evidence-Based Policing at Axon. She is the co-founder and past president of the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing (ASEBP).

Dr. Mitchell holds a B.S. in Psychology, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology, an MBA, a J.D., and a Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Cambridge. A 2009–2010 Fulbright Police Research Fellow, she has delivered TEDx talks (“Research Not Riots” and “Policing Needs to Change: Trust Me, I’m a Cop”) and regularly lectures internationally on evidence-based policing.

She created ASEBP’s Applied Criminology and Data Management Course (AC/DC), which pairs practitioners with researchers and has generated more than 15 rigorous field research projects across the United States. She has worked closely with agencies including Portland Police Bureau (OR), Grand Prairie Police Department (TX), Burlington Police Department (NC), Greensboro Police Department (NC), and Austin Police Department (TX), helping police leaders use their data operationally and present their findings at national forums such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Her research interests include crime prevention, place-based criminology, 911 calls for service, alternative police responses, and police training. She has published widely in leading journals and is the author of Evidence Based Policing: An Introduction; Implementing Evidence-Based Research: A How-To Guide for Police Organizations (recipient of the 2022 ASC Division of Policing Outstanding Book Award); and Twenty-One Mental Models That Can Change Policing.