Formation July 22, 1970 Legal status 501(c)(3) | Founded at Washington, D.C. Headquarters Washington, D.C. | |
Type Not for Profit Organization Purpose To Advance Policing Through Innovation and Science | ||
The Police Foundation (National), headquartered in Washington, DC, is a national, independent non-profit organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and science. The Police Foundation was founded on July 22, 1970 by the Ford Foundation, but operates today with funding support from public (federal, state and local governments) and private sources as well as donations.
The Police Foundation has conducted some of the most influential and well-known scientific experiments in policing, such as the Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment, the Newark Foot Patrol Experiment and the Shift Length Experiment, conducted more recently.
The Police Foundation today conducts scientific experiments related to key challenges in policing and translates scientific research into practice, through training and technical assistance to law enforcement agencies around the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Areas of focus in The Police Foundation's work include crime reduction strategies, police management, performance, and accountability, technology innovation, officer safety and wellness, and policing strategies and models. The Police Foundation has a long history of supporting policing strategies that are consistent with community policing values and philosophy.
Local Police Foundations
The Police Foundation is a national organization and does not function in the same way or for the same purposes as many of the unaffiliated local Police Foundations. For a listing of local police foundations, visit the Police Foundations (Local) page.