What Works in Police Training? Applying an Evidence-Informed, General, Ecological Model of Police Training

Abstract

Over the last decade, research on police training showed significant development. Nevertheless, the field was lacking a consistent framework based on the best available scientific evidence indicating what should work in police training. The present article presents such a model, based on Litmanovitz (2016). It provides a succinct description of the model, its development and importance, and tests the outcome of a procedural justice (PJ) training module designed based on its principles, within the context of a quasi-experiment in the National Police College in Israel. Findings show a statistically significant effect on recruits’ support for PJ, but not on their perceived ability to exercise PJ. We conclude that the general, ecological training model proposed by Litmanovitz (2016) shows promise, is useful for the development of evidence-informed police training interventions, and should be viewed as a starting point for ongoing elaboration and refinement of our knowledge on police training.