Edmonton Police Service

• In 2020, calls to defund the police echoed a longstanding argument in critical criminology in favour of police abolition.
• Academics who forgo working with police are losing out on opportunities for critical data access and effective knowledge mobilization.
• Researchers who seek to understand and evaluate policing practice need access to large-scale, timely and highly sensitive data on police operations.

Intimate partner violence

• Intimate partner violence is one priority area that has seen the benefits of police-academic partnership.
• Studies showed that arrest reduced subsequent violence, but the impact varied according to an individual’s history of violence and other risk factors.
• We have been part of such partnerships over the course of our respective careers, from the creation of the first actuarial risk assessment tool for intimate partner violence to the testing of that tool in routine police practice.

Coercive control

• Recognition of non-physically violent but coercive and controlling forms of abuse has grown rapidly in recent years, especially with the increase in coercive control incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Coercive control involves repeated, systematic acts of isolation, intimidation and violation that undermine the partner and trap them in the abusive relationship.
• Keira’s Law, which passed the Senate on Aug. 17, 2023, is set to mandate coercive control training for judges.

How best to address coercive control?

• Police-academic partnerships can help answer crucial questions, including how police officers investigate coercive control, what the most effectual training methods are and whether policies are effective and equitable when implemented.
• The CELIA IPV project for intimate partner violence research is studying how police can recognize and respond to non-physical, coercive and controlling behaviours.

Evidence-based policing

• We’ll also examine risk-assessment approaches for people engaging in intimate partner violence across diverse gender and sexual identities, extending our partnerships and enhancing the potential for improving evidence-based policing whenever officers respond to a domestic call.
• Police-academic partnerships are not just about the academic search for knowledge, and not just about the evaluation of policing practice.

• EDMONTON, AB, Aug. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Niche Technology is pleased to announce the Edmonton Police Service's (EPS) successful launch and implementation of NicheRMS365, the world's leading RMS platform used by large police agencies in North America, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
• "Making the change to the new NicheRMS365 was the single biggest business transformation for the Edmonton Police Service in over a decade, and impacted almost every employee," says Ron Anderson, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer with the EPS.
• The EPS's conversion involved moving from an earlier version of NicheRMS, with EPS customizations, to Niche's latest out-of-the-box (OOTB) platform.
• With the EPS now fully up and running on NicheRMS365, Niche Technology's RMS platform now serves approximately 53,000 sworn officers in Canada.

• Edmonton, Alberta, July 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edmonton Unlimited, in collaboration with the City of Edmonton, announces three urban innovation challenges for Capital City Pilots .
• Funded by PrairiesCan and the Province of Alberta, Capital City Pilots is an exciting procurement experiment that provides a case study for local startups to test pilot-ready IP.
• “In partnership with the City of Edmonton, Capital City Pilots is a powerful triple threat – participating companies secure the City as a case study, municipal operations prosper through homegrown innovation, and the greater Edmonton community profits from local ingenuity in action.
• Ultimately, Capital City Pilots showcases investable companies in Edmonton, appeals to global investors and talent, and positions Edmonton as an innovation capital solving local and global challenges.

• "We are humbled to see agencies across Canada expanding their TASER programs," says Vishal Dhir, Senior Vice President, Americas.
• "Axon's latest and most advanced energy device, the TASER 7, is a critical de-escalation tool to help keep both officers and communities safer.
• The TASER 7 is the most effective TASER device yet, with services that are seamlessly integrated into Axon Evidence.
• By leveraging Axon's TASER 7 Certification plan, these agencies will receive TASER 7 devices, holsters, rechargeable batteries, instructor training, end-user training and access to ongoing online training content.