As the cost of policing increases, and local government budgets tighten, thoughtful determinations about the number of police officers a community needs are becoming more important. In this episode, we give you the three most important steps you should take when trying to determine how many cops you need to keep your community safe. Should you simply use the traditional “cops per thousand” calculation? We don’t think so. The outcomes you seek, community expectations, and available resources, should drive this determination.

Policing in a Minute is a podcast of the Future Policing Institute. It's intended to provide brief summaries of topics important to policing today and in the future. All in about a minute. Episodes are designed for you to listen to when your time is limited. No fluff. Just the bottom line.

To learn more about the Institute and its Center on Policing and Artificial Intelligence go to futurepolicing.org.