Michael Burgess

Law enforcement is very good at responding to incidents. But what happens when we begin looking beyond the individual call and asking why the problem keeps happening in the first place? I recently had the opportunity to join John Gabrielson on The Blue Line Project podcast (via The Crime Reduction Institute Network) for a conversation about crime prevention, evidence-based and problem-oriented policing, and how agencies can move beyond simply responding to recurring problems toward...

Some of the most persistent problems in our communities are not caused by a lack of effort. Officers respond, reports are written, services are provided, arrests are made, complaints are documented, and resources are deployed. People are working hard, often under difficult conditions. Yet the same people, places, behaviors, and circumstances continue producing the same calls, the same victims, and the same harm. Sometimes the problem is not that no one cared or no one tried. Sometimes it is...

Staffing shortages are real. Limited budgets are real. Limited resources are real. Across the country, law enforcement agencies of every size are feeling it. Large agencies, small agencies, suburban departments, rural departments, county agencies, and mid-sized departments are all dealing with it in different ways. Some are stretching shifts. Some are relying heavily on overtime. Some are struggling to recruit and retain officers. Some are doing everything they can just to keep cars on the...