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Benchmark Analytics® and the University of Chicago to Create National Research Consortium on Police Early Intervention and Outcomes

Chicago, IL – (October 12, 2018) – Benchmark Analytics, a leading software provider of analytics-based police force management and early intervention solutions for law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S., is excited to announce support from the Joyce Foundation – a Chicago-based private foundation that invests in the future of the Great Lakes region – to accelerate research and best practices on police early intervention in four pilot Great Lakes region police departments.

Working in close collaboration with the University of Chicago and the Benchmark Research Consortium (also supported by The Joyce Foundation), this partnership will help close the current research and knowledge gap on how to most accurately identify law enforcement officers who are engaging in problematic conduct and citizen interactions. Equally importantly, the partnership will focus on evidence-based interventions that help alter conduct and support officers with the needed tools to be effective. Indeed, very little evidence is currently available to help law enforcement agencies understand which interventions, wellness programs, training and/or individualized supports have a positive impact on at-risk officers.

Specifically, this partnership will:

  • Provide ongoing evaluation and case study for the application of research-based early intervention systems in four police departments
  • Facilitate the Benchmark/UChicago Research Consortium by including law enforcement practitioners who are actively implementing a research-based EIS
  • Curate and facilitate further research questions for investigation and focus
  • Drive policy and national learnings through the evolution of a national benchmark on key early intervention data

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Joyce Foundation, a true leader in evidence-based policy and reform, and the University of Chicago on this critical work,” said Ron Huberman, CEO of Benchmark. “Through the course of this program, we will learn an immense amount about how to support police officers who are struggling. By being able to intervene early in an officer’s career, before serious incidents occur, we can help departments better serve their communities and also better support their officers.”

The Joyce Foundation support will enable the implementation of Benchmark’s research-based early intervention system, called First Sign®, in four Great Lakes area police departments. As part of this project, those departments will also become members of the Benchmark/UChicago Research Consortium, which will be comprised of leading academics, scholars, and practitioners in the fields of early warning and early intervention for police officers. The consortium will facilitate information sharing and best practices creation, as well as ongoing research and policy advancement focused exclusively on municipal policing.

About Benchmark Analytics Benchmark Analytics, in collaboration with our renowned research partners led by the University of Chicago, as well as analytic specialists and world-class technology developers, has created the only evidence-based police force management and early intervention system available today. This proprietary, all-in-one solution captures and aggregates all officer performance data in an easy-to-use, software-enabled system; analyzes it for early, preventative intervention; and provides customized officer support with specific case action plans. Benchmark Analytics is supported by the National Police Early Intervention and Outcomes Research Consortium, chaired by the University of Chicago and supported by the Joyce Foundation. For more information, visit www.benchmarkanalytics.com.

About the Joyce Foundation The Joyce Foundation is a nonpartisan, private foundation that invests in the future of the Great Lakes region by supporting policies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation. We support policy research, development and advocacy in areas that have a significant impact on quality of life: Education & Economic Mobility, Environment, Gun Violence Prevention and Justice Reform, Democracy and Culture. Based in Chicago, Joyce focuses its grant making in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. We also collaborate with funders and other partners to explore promising policy solutions in other states or at the federal level. Joyce has budgeted 2018 charitable disbursements of $50 million on assets of approximately $1 billion. For further information, please visit www.JoyceFdn.org or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

About the University of Chicago As one of the world's premier research universities, the University of Chicago empowers students and scholars through its commitment to free and open inquiry. Across numerous departments and disciplines, as well as more than 140 institutes and centers, the UChicago community advances ideas and innovations that enrich human life. UChicago’s faculty are some of the top in the world. The University of Chicago has 90 Nobel Prize winners, including six current faculty, and receives more than $450 million in sponsored research awards each year. Please visit www.uchicago.edu.