Vera Institute of Justice

Overview

For nearly forty years, Vera has helped police departments, nonprofit organizations, and governments around the world develop and test innovations that reduce crime and promote efficient policing while minimizing intrusions on people’s liberty. This work emphasizes accountability as the most important tool for improving police services. Accountability helps to reduce crime, builds stronger relationships between law enforcement and the communities officers serve, and encourages collaboration between the many groups interested in public safety. While Vera’s policing projects span a broad range of issues and locations, they can be grouped into four categories: management practices, police-community relations, misconduct, and policing in democratic societies worldwide.