UMD, Gov. Hogan Announce Grant to Support the Development of a New Maryland Crime Research and Innovation Center
The University of Maryland received a $500,000 grant from the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention (GOCCP) to support the development of a new Maryland Crime Research and Innovation Center.
UMD will lead the effort and will partner with University System of Maryland (USM) institutions to engage interdisciplinary capabilities, in coordination with resources offered by industry and state partners, to support the establishment of a knowledge and research center to help the state’s crime control and prevention efforts. The initiative will benefit from the state’s collective talent and expertise to conduct interdisciplinary research and to help inform state policies and programs.
“The Center is a unique combination of high-tech competence and more traditional interest in building the informational and statistical infrastructure of the criminal justice system. The two efforts work hand in hand and one cannot succeed without the other,” said Professor James Lynch of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, who will serve as a faculty expert in the new Center. “Many of the most challenging problems in criminal justice are due to the lack of information sharing. Apps can facilitate sharing, but they cannot create the will and legal environment to do so.”
Through its collaborative efforts, the Center will:
- Work to identify threats, develop innovative, outcome-based solutions aimed at combatting violent crime, and evaluate progress;
- Examine criminal justice issues related to human trafficking, firearms trafficking, drug trafficking, as well as gangs;
- Bring together resources, research experts, thought leaders, and industry innovations to tackle the complex social issues that underlie violent crime in Maryland;
- Conduct research to inform pilot tests of promising crime prevention interventions, with the ultimate goal of informing statewide policy; and
- Employ data and analysis of data to develop law enforcement solutions, victim services, prevention efforts, and criminal justice programs that reduce violent crime and improve quality of life for Maryland residents.
“We are excited to contribute our collective research expertise to support this initiative, which we believe will help positively impact safety, security, and quality of life for Maryland residents,” said UMD Senior Vice President and Provost Mary Ann Rankin.
The yearlong initiative will be led by the School of Public Policy’s Dawn Pulliam, project director and principal investigator, and William Lucyshyn, co-principal investigator, in partnership with faculty experts from the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, the Robert H. Smith School of Business, the School of Public Health, the A. James Clark School of Engineering, the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, and the College of Information Studies, as well as a liaison from the GOCCP.
“The safety and security of the citizens of Maryland requires a team approach,” said V. Glenn Fueston, Jr., Executive Director of GOCCP. “Everything we do must be centered around identifying the roots of violent crime and finding solutions that focus on prevention, enforcement, and victims services. We look forward to engaging the academic expertise across Maryland’s university system, while partnering with stakeholders, to ensure that we have the benefit of the best talent across the state working together to make Maryland the best state in which to live, work and raise a family.”
Story originally posted on UMD Right Now on September 14, 2018. Additional reporting by BSOS.
Published on Tue, Sep 18, 2018 - 1:25PM