First introduced in 1993, The Herman Goldstein Award recognizes outstanding police officers and police agencies–both in the United States and around the world–that engage in innovative and effective problem–solving efforts and achieve measurable success in reducing specific crime, disorder, and public safety problems. This international competition is named after the founder of problem–oriented policing, University of Wisconsin emeritus Professor Herman Goldstein and administered by the Center for Problem–Oriented Policing. (The award program was administered by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) from 1993–2007.)
The Center for Problem–Oriented Policing has assembled a panel of seven judges, made up of experienced researchers and practitioners, who select the winner and a small number of finalists from among award submissions. Submissions typically come from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The judges consider a number of factors in their selection, including the depth of problem analysis, the development of clear and realistic response goals, the use of relevant measures of effectiveness, and the involvement of citizens and other community resources in problem resolution. Police agencies whose projects successfully resolve any type of recurring community problem that results in crime or disorder are eligible to compete for the award. The number of submissions averages approximately 50 to 70 per year, and of those roughly 5 to 10 per year are selected as finalists.
Submit a project for the Goldstein Award
The quality and focus of these submissions vary considerably. With the exception of those submissions selected as winners or finalists, these documents are unedited and are reproduced in the condition in which they were submitted. They may nevertheless contain useful information or may report innovative projects.
