Proactive Policing Scientific Approach

A Smarter Way to Improve Public Safety and Implement Proactive Policing

By Chief Paul Pazen (ret.)

When I became the Chief of Police in Denver, I wanted to find new ways to really impact the safety and prosperity in our city. Over my tenure in Denver, we created and ran many innovative programs, and I was fortunate to be in the position to work with city leaders and partners to impact the quality of life in Denver.

Like many cities across our country, we faced the challenge of improving public safety amidst staffing shortages and fluctuations, budget constraints and increasing community expectations. This was not an easy problem to solve, how could we better address crime without greatly increasing costs? It has always been my belief that traditional policing is a game of catch-up, we’re evaluating our performance on catching the offenders after the crimes are committed. I was really interested in the concept of positive policing. Wouldn't it be better to attack the crimes that we can impact with the cooperation of our community, and then use our officers to focus on the most important and impactful crimes?

I evaluated the research and work being done on crime prevention and proactive policing. Traditional crime prevention methods such as flyers, neighborhood meetings and traditional social media messages to our followers had their limitations. These methods often reached only the people who were already engaged with us, not those who needed the message the most. It was also difficult to reach them multiple times to reinforce and keep the information fresh in the mind of the community.

After exploring all of the options that were already available, I didn’t think we had discovered the best way to implement proactive policing, so I elevated the project and examined the behaviors. The underlying goal was to change the behavior in our community, both with our law-abiding residents and visitors, and with those considering committing a crime.

I started to explore ways to change behaviors so we could reduce crime without requiring additional enforcement resources.

The answer came in the form of nudge theory, a concept borrowed from behavioral economics that has been successfully applied in marketing and public policy. Instead of relying on enforcement, we sought to engage individuals to make safer choices such as locking their cars, securing their homes and taking small steps to reduce their likelihood of becoming victims. Additionally, we sought to deter criminal activity through highlighting our ability to solve crimes.

The research and implementation in this Denver program created the idea to bring this capability to all law enforcement and safety related organizations. Read on to find out how this innovative program progressed to become the company we envisioned and recently launched.

Every Agency has the Same Constraints - Addressing Crimes with Limited Resources

Every year, tens of thousands of preventable crimes occur across the country. Crimes like car break-ins, stolen bikes, and burglaries from unlocked garages cost communities millions in losses and enforcement expenses. These are crimes of opportunity where a potential offender sees an easy target and acts on impulse. These crimes can also be resource intensive for the police department. It’s important to respond to the victims of these crimes so that they feel supported and heard by their police department, even if it’s unlikely that the crime will be solved. The hours and corresponding costs of policework to address these crimes are significant, and take time away from what the department can accomplish.

As police leaders, we understand the crime triangle, which suggests that a crime occurs when a motivated offender encounters an opportunity in the right environment. If we could remove just one of these elements, we could prevent crimes before they happen.

The traditional approaches we have taken as public safety leaders have proven less effective over time as more of our community members, and those coming to our communities for work or play, absorb their information in non-tradiational ways. As innovators, we need a better way to reach the people who are most at risk, at the right time and in the right place; and increasingly, we need to do so with fewer resources.

Behavior Change Through Social Media

To tackle this challenge, we decided to apply the behavioral nudge strategy to crime prevention, which we already stated has been successfully implemented in many sectors to influence consumer behavior. Instead of relying on direct orders or traditional enforcement, we used subtle cues to encourage people to make safer choices or deter antisocial actions. We deployed the nudges using social media, as the most reliable and effective path to reaching the audiences we needed to reach.

In Denver, we combined policing executive leadership with scientific and marketing experts, to deliver focused campaigns that:

Deliver focused safety messages directly to social media feeds
Used engaging visuals and simple, actionable language to encourage safe behaviors
Isolated audiences by location and demographics to reach the people who most needed the information
Evaluated the impact of messaging approaches with comparison neighborhoods

The results were clear:

The neighborhoods with the messages saw a significant decrease in preventable crimes, including 58% drop in burglaries, 15% decrease in vehicle break-ins, and 7% reduction in stolen cars
Our evaluation showed the importance of the messaging when compared with like-neighborhoods that did not receive the messaging (or treatment)
The return on investment (ROI) was undeniable - the cost of running the campaigns was far lower than the cost of responding to the crimes it helped prevent

By leveraging existing technology and behavioral science, we reduced crime without needing more officers, patrols or expensive new initiatives.

This research and these concepts are the inspiration and basis of the company and approach that I founded - Vocalis. After concluding my police career, it was my dream to start a company that what would bring this capability to other law enforcement and safety minded organizations in a simple, efficient and cost-effective way. Vocalis Impact is evidence-based, providing the small behavioral change messages in social media, reaching our audiences in the most effective way.

We are Now Bringing the Vocalis Impact Approach to Agencies Across the Country

The success of this approach highlights a crucial shift in how we think about public safety. Instead of focusing only on enforcement or traditional prevention approaches, Vocalis can help move toward proactive policing to activate communities and deter crime, and elevate the successes your agency is having. Too often, crime prevention is viewed as labor-intensive, requiring officers to physically be present in the community. But technology and data-driven strategies allow us to reach people where they already are. The Vocalis approach is scalable, cost-effective, and adaptable. Any law enforcement agency, regardless of size or budget, can implement our tailored approach to their community’s needs.

The research and implementation in Denver validated the Vocalis Impact approach. It proved the process could significantly reduce preventable crimes using platforms that people already rely on for information. The results were eye-opening, and I believe they offer a promising model for other cities seeking to enhance safety when we are in a time of decreasing police forces and applicants to fill open positions.

By investing in behavioral science and strategic communication, we can empower communities to take small actions that collectively lead to big safety improvements.

A Smarter Way to Make Our Cities Safer

As a police chief, I spent years looking for innovative, cost-effective ways to reduce crime without increasing officer workloads. My experience with the Vocalis approach in Denver confirmed what I long suspected. Sometimes, the most effective strategies are not about adding more boots on the ground, but moving the strategy earlier in the process, by implementing proactive policing before the crimes are committed, using the right tools to influence behavior.

By meeting people where they already are, on social media, we can give your residents and visitors the information they need, when they need it, in a way that actually influences their actions. I strongly believe this is a blueprint for law enforcement agencies everywhere. By embracing data-driven, technology-enhanced strategies, we can build safer communities without stretching our resources to the breaking point.

We would love to talk with you about how Vocalis can empower your organizations to reach, inform, and engage your communities to strengthen safety, trust, and your connection to the community.