Rethinking Police Evaluation Research: Balancing “Zen” with the “Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”*

Abstract

Abstract Over two decades the police have adopted more the trappings of science than its substance. Efforts to understand the police have taken queues from advocates of random controlled trials as the “gold standard” to judge the police, often ignoring the qualitative and symbolic roles and functions of the police. In an era emphasizing police legitimacy, revisiting Pirsig’s (1974) call for better linking broad theoretical discourse with practical application suggests rethinking police evaluative frameworks. Measuring all that the police do, without being driven singularly by deterrence ideas, can more clearly explore this important social institution. This paper argues for examining the social facilitation role of the police, acknowledging the subtleties of social context for policing, and improving implementation assessment of police interventions, which are often lacking today in police research. Linking “Zen and Motorcycle Maintenance” brings us closer to understanding how the police actually work and why it matters.