Collaborative Research

Collaborative Research

Integrated into Seattle U's Department of Criminal Justice, Criminology & Forensics

The Crime & Justice Research Center conducts primary research, including data collection and analysis, program evaluation, and collaborative research with local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies.

Featured Research

Image of the cover of the reportDescriptive Evaluation of the South King County Pretrial Assessment and Linkages Services (PALS) Pilot Program Final Report

Principal Investigator: Jacqueline B. Helfgott, Co-Investigator: Elaine Gunnison, Graduate Research Assistant: Kim Satterfield

The Seattle University Crime & Justice Research Center partnered with the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention to conduct a descriptive evaluation of the South King County Pretrial Assessment and Linkages Services (PALS) Pilot Program.

Findings from the descriptive evaluation are presented in this report.

Research Articles

Statewide Juror Summons Demographic Survey Project, An Analysis of Selected County Data

The central question is whether summoned jurors are representative of the counties from which they are selected.

The aim was to collect data on each juror's race, ethnicity, age, sex, employment status, educational attainment, and income... The central question is whether summoned jurors are representative of the counties from which they are selected. The makeup and representativeness of jury summons respondents and eventually impaneled juries pertains to the trial provisions of the Sixth Amendment and to the perceived legitimacy and fairness of and confidence in our courts.

Before the Badge - Photo Credit - The Seattle Police Department

This project seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the Seattle Police Department's Before the Badge training program.

In collaboration with a diverse group of community partners, and under the professional guidance of Seattle-based educators, this new curricula provides opportunities for recruits to immerse themselves '...in community-based, peer-based, and introspective experiences...'

Image Source: Before the Badge - Seattle Police Department

Virtual community-police dialogues were conducted in 2021 and 2022 to provide opportunities for community members and police to explore and discuss the Seattle Public Safety Survey results.

In 2022, Micro-Community Policing Plans launched an additional set of community-police dialogues focused on building relationships between SPD recruits and community members as recruits progress through Before the Badge (BTB) training. BTB is a new initiative that police recruits experience prior to entering the police academy focused on relational policing and immersing new recruits in community-based experiences.

Image of report cover graphicsLongitudinal Evaluation of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission’s Guardian Law Enforcement Training

Jacqueline B. Helfgott and Matthew J. Hickman

The Seattle University Crime & Justice Research Center partnered with the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of guardian training for law enforcement officers implemented at the WSCJTC in 2012.

Findings from the longitudinal evaluation are reported in a series of reports completed from 2015-2021. 

Seattle Police Micro-Community Policing Plans

Seattle University Collaboration

Images of the Space Needle, police vehicle and chart on computerNo two neighborhoods in Seattle are the same. Micro-Community Policing Plans (MCPP) recognize and address this. These plans are developed by bringing community engagement and crime data together and directing police services to address the individual needs of each community.

Annually, Seattle University conducts an independent public safety survey of each neighborhood. This captures the concerns of each neighborhood and gives SPD clear areas of focus.

In between annual Seattle Public Safety Survey administrations October 15-November 30, Seattle University also conducts regular annual focus groups from May through August in all Seattle micro-communities.

Sign-up is now open for the 2023 Seattle Police Department's "Before the Badge" Community-Police Dialogues. East Precinct Dialogue is coming up on Wednesday - March 22, 2023!

The dialogues will be conducted by the SPD Micro-Community Policing Plans Research team and held virtually via Zoom on designated dates by precinct. The dialogues offer the opportunity for community members to meet with and engage in conversation with new Seattle Police Recruits who are completing the SPD "Before the Badge" training which is a 45-Day Training that newly hired SPD recruits take prior to  Law Enforcement Academy Training Program. Sign-up to participate in one or more dialogues.

Are you interested in?

  • Meeting new Seattle Police Recruits and learning about who they are, why they entered policing, and their thoughts and ideas about how to improve public safety in Seattle?
  • Helping new SPD recruits learn about Seattle precincts and neighborhoods?
  • Sharing your real-time public safety concerns with the new SPD recruits so they can better understand quality of life-related public safety issues communities face?
  • Understanding how community members can work creatively and in concrete ways with new SPD recruits to improve public safety in Seattle?

Learn about the SPD MCPP

Learn about the SPD Before the Badge training program

Flyer promoting dialogue sessionsSeattle Police Department’s Micro-Community Policing Plans Community-Police Dialogues 2021 Results

Principal Investigator: Jacqueline B. Helfgott, Research Assistant/Analysts: Shannon Christensen, Alexander Dvorsky, Cierrah Loveness, and JT Melbourn

The Seattle University Crime & Justice Research Center partnered with the Seattle Police Department as part of the Seattle Police Department’s Micro-Community Policing Plans to conduct virtual community-police dialogues during Spring 2021.

The Seattle University SPD MCPP Research Team will conduct SPD MCPP Community-Police Dialogues in May through August, 2022. 

Trends in Misdemeanor Arrests, Referrals, and Charges

Seattle Report

Image with Seattle U banners, Space Needle with Seattle Police Department vehicle, photo of John Jay CollegeJacqueline B. Helfgott, William S. Parkin, Christopher Fisher, Lauren Morgan, Simran Kaur

Examining trends in misdemeanor arrests, charges, and referrals as one of seven jurisdictions in the Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice to provide information of value to policymakers, criminal justice professionals, and researchers in Seattle and nationwide to replicate findings from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Trends in Misdemeanor Arrests, Referrals, & Charges in Seattle is part of the Misdemeanor Justice Project at John Jay College of Criminal Justice Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice funded by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

Final Reports and Publications

Selected Examples of Collaborative Research with Criminal Justice Agency Partners

Research is conducted under the direction of faculty in the Criminal Justice, Criminology & Forensics Department. If you are interested in exploring collaborative research opportunities with the department please contact Dr. Jacqueline Helfgott by email.

Contact Us

  • Jacqueline Helfgott, PhD

    Jacqueline Helfgott, PhD

    Director
    Crime and Justice Research Center
    Email

    206.296.5477

Journal of Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society

 

Coeditors-in-Chief
Elaine Gunnison, PhD
Jacqueline Helfgott, PhD

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences