Vera Institute of Justice

Megan O’Toole was a research associate in Vera’s Policing Program. She is experienced in mixed-methods evaluations and community-based research, with a particular focus on alternatives to traditional justice system processes. She joined the policing team at its inception, originally as a Predoctoral Applied Justice Research Fellow, and has since contributed to several projects related to police-community relations and policing metrics. Her projects focused on implementing system-wide community policing metrics; developing and managing an exploratory data visualization tool that displays both local and national enforcement trends; defining the landscape of 911 calls for service; and enhancing law enforcement responses to people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities.

Prior to joining Vera, Megan worked as a research associate and Pinkerton Fellow in John Jay’s Research and Evaluation Center, a research assistant at the Columbia School of Social Work, and a clinical intern in the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. Megan holds a PhD in Psychology and Law from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY Graduate Center, where her dissertation examined the effects of stereotype threat on racial disparities at the front end of the criminal justice system. She also holds an MA in Forensic Psychology from John Jay and a BA in Psychobiology and Legal Studies from Wheaton College.