Vera Institute of Justice

Overview

Public safety agencies face continuing budget pressure and need to get the greatest return from their scarce resources. New public safety technologies (PSTs) have the potential to make law enforcement more effective, whether it is an automated reporting system, protective gear for officers, a crime analysis program, or body cameras to record interactions between police and civilians. But these technologies are constantly evolving and each year brings a new set of options for decision makers. What is the best way to inform PST investments? Is cost-benefit analysis (CBA) a useful tool?

The Vera Institute of Justice convened a roundtable to discuss public safety technologies, the intersection of PST and CBA, how law enforcement approaches PST investments, and the potential role of CBA and other economic analyses to guide these decisions.