The Center for Public Safety Initiatives is a unique collaboration between RIT's Department of Criminal Justice, the City of Rochester, and the criminal justice agencies of Greater Rochester, including the Rochester Police Department and Monroe County Crime Lab. Its purpose is to contribute to criminal justice strategy through research, policy analysis, and evaluation. Its educational goals include training graduate and undergraduate students in strategic planning and policy analysis.

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The foundation of the Center is the practice of action research in which relevant data and analyses are brought to bear on the day-to-day decision-making processes of organizations. The Center serves the practice of policy development and implementation in real-time.

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Faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students are currently working on projects through the Center for Public Safety Initiatives. The Center for Public Safety Initiatives actively seeks projects to bring to bear its unique partnerships, research skills, and educational commitments.

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Sample Publications

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• Identifying Best Practices in Policing: An Overview of the Evidence-Based Policing Matrix

• Race and Crime in a Rustbelt Suburb: Irondequoit, NY

• Violence as a Public Health Issue

• Rochester Homicide Statistics for 2019

• COVID-19 Pandemic and the Opioid Epidemic

• The Impact of COVID-19 on Community Based Responses to Violence