Chief Johnston has dedicated 27 years to policing, covering a broad spectrum of roles within the Barrie Police Service, from Operations to Executive Services. His academic journey is marked by significant achievements, including a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Philosophy from Queen’s University, a Master of Arts in Leadership Studies from the University of Guelph, and a Master of Studies in Applied Criminology and Police Management from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.
Chief Johnston is committed to Evidence-Based Policing, evident in his tenure as Director of Research for the Canadian Society of Evidence Based Policing and his recognition as a National Institute of Justice L.E.A.D.S Scholar (Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science).
In 2022, Chief Johnston’s contributions were acknowledged with induction into the George Mason University Evidence Based Policing Hall of Fame. Additionally, he was honored with the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Excellence in Leadership award, further solidifying his reputation as a distinguished leader in the field.
Presentation
From spark to fire – Evidence Based Policing – a Canadian Perspective
Canada’s foray into the adoption of Evidence-Based Policing (EBP) has been broadly, to date, decentralized. Efforts to embed EBP have been driven by individual police services and the dedicated efforts of ‘pracademic’ personnel at various organizational levels alongside academics who seek to improve policing in Canada.
The Canadian Society of Evidence-Based Policing (Can-SEBP) has more recently played a pivotal, yet indirect role, in supporting diverse EBP initiatives. While with any transformative change, challenges relating to funding and widespread adoption persist, grassroot approaches are increasingly becoming more prevalent and visible.
The presentation will briefly overview recent and current research that has operational implications from a select number of police services. This research spans a broad spectrum, addressing areas from deployment and human resources at the operational level to more strategically aimed efforts, touching on public perceptions of policing and procedural justice. The ongoing development and growth of EBP in Canada is promising and appears to be gaining momentum, with an increasing strengthening of a community of practitioners leaning on each other to develop EBP within their respective services. Can-SEBP seeks to continue to be a lightning rod for these relationships and to nurture EBP’s adoption in Canadian policing.