From Research to Reality: Leveraging Implementation Science to Advance Evidence-Based Policing
Article Information
Citation
Herold, T. D. (2026). From research to reality: Leveraging implementation science to advance evidence-based policing. NIJ LEADS Special Issue, 140-151.
Keywords
Implementation science, evidence-based policing, program fidelity, scaling, organizational change, sustainability
Research Summary
The National Institute of Justice’s “Evidence to Action” initiative seeks to bridge the gap between research and practice. Supporting this mission, this article introduces implementation science, a growing scientific field that helps translate evidence into action, and explains how police leaders can use it to sustain effective interventions.
The article provides a practical introduction to implementation science and its tools, then proposes a blueprint for advancing evidence-based policing grounded in five core principles: commitment, concordance, co-production, capacity, and culture. Drawing on the LEADS scholars’ studies presented throughout this volume, Herold demonstrates how each principle applies to real policing contexts and offers guidance for police leaders engaged in “first-line research.”
The central argument is that knowing “what works” is not enough; agencies must also understand what it takes to implement and sustain effective practices. The article equips both practitioners and scholar-practitioners with a framework for guiding successful interventions and achieving lasting improvements in policing outcomes.
Companion Video
Applying Implementation Science to Policing
Tamara D. Herold discusses implementation science frameworks and strategies for successfully deploying evidence-based practices in law enforcement agencies.