Field research and the ‘special sauce’ for institutionalizing evidence-based policing

Abstract

Abstract Evidence-based policing (EBP) is widely recognized as essential in modern democracies, yet it often remains an aspiration rather than a daily operational reality. Although research on policing interventions has grown significantly, institutionalizing these findings into sustainable practice remains a formidable challenge. In her 2025 Joan McCord Lecture, Lum argues that fieldwork is the indispensable link between scientific inquiry and the operationalization of evidence-based policing. Through collaborative partnerships, researchers and practitioners generate shared knowledge—a “special sauce”—necessary to move beyond ad hoc implementation toward institutionalizing evidence-based practices. This practical wisdom enables both groups to engage the five elements of evidence-based policing (Lum & Koper, 2017): generating evidence, translating findings, building institutional receptivity, operationalizing strategies, and institutionalizing practices as “business as usual.” Without mutually respected fieldwork, criminology will struggle to make its work genuinely meaningful to the criminal justice field.