Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) in the U.S. Department of State. As part of a major grant awarded  by the U.S. State Department to study police accountability and citizen trust in Mexico, the Lab works with the Mexico arm of the INL to study the dynamics of police practices and citizen trust in settings of criminal violence in Mexico. The partnership with the INL facilitates coordination and communication among various law enforcement agencies to enable data gathering and training activities  in Mexico at the federal, state, and municipal levels.

Mexico City Police Department. We work with local police to collect and analyze “hot-spot” data from crime reports, demographic census, death certificates, forensic centers, hospital records, victimization surveys, victim reports, geographic information systems, and administrative police documents. We use this data to carry out randomized control trials that test the impact of diverse police strategies designed to reduce crime, empower local neighborhoods, and enhance trust between citizens and authorities.

Mexico Commission on National Security (CNS). We collaborate with CNS, a Mexican government agency that oversees the federal police and federal prison system and is responsible for maintaining public security, order and peace to collect data on criminal activity, police performance, and police interventions, which can be analyzed by researchers in the Lab to better understand the effectiveness of policies and actions for improving public security.

Military State Police of Rio de Janeiro (PMERJ) We have an ongoing partnership between the Lab and Rio’s military police to enable  our research team to conduct in-depth analyses of violence patterns and police behavior in in the favelas of Rio. The work is made possible thanks to PMERJ’s willingness to provide confidential information on homicide numbers and ammunition usage (as well as open access to battalions and UPPs to conduct interviews and questionnaires to complement the research). Our Lab has obtained information on homicides by police intervention and consumption of ammunition on an individual basis, with geo-referencing data on homicides at the street level. A research project of this kind, in particular the level of access to confidential information and insight into police’s behavior, is unprecedented in Latin America.

World Justice Project (WPJ). The Lab partners with the WPJ, an independent, multidisciplinary organization working to advance the rule of law  around the world through research and scholarship, engagement, and the WJP Rule of Law Index. Also funded by the INL, the work of WJP and Poverty and Governance Crime Lab will include field work to explore the characteristics of police officers, their procedures, and the way in which they understand their role in protecting citizens and being accountable for their behavior. 

Observatório de Favelas (Favela’s Observatory). Observatório de Favela is a civil society organization that conducts research, consulting work and public action aimed at producing knowledge and political propositions on slum-related issues and the urban phenomena. The center seeks to push forward an agenda on “rights to the city,” based on the redefinition of the slums in the context of public policy initiatives, development and public security. The Lab partnered with the Observatory in the implementation of a large-scale community survey to be conducted in 5 “pacified” Rio favelas that seeks to explore resident’s perceptions of security issues in their communities. 

Cauce Ciudadano. Cauce Ciudadano is a Mexican NGO successfully working with at-risk youth throughout the country. Its mission is to prevent, reduce and eliminate violence generated by young people. The organization provides life skills training to young people and adults that aim to reinforce the protective factors and eradicate risk factors involving violence and crime. These life skills include: health promotion, resilience, the prevention of psychological and health problems and the promotion of social responsibility. In partnership with the World Bank, Our Lab researches Cauce's practices and initiatives to gain insight into the reasons why youth choose to join gangs, and how they can be encouraged to invest in non-violent and legitimate life options. 

Mexico Evalúa. The Lab collaborates with leading Mexican think tank, Mexico Evalúa, to develop crime, social, economic and environmental diagnostics to understand crime patterns and dynamics aimed at developing effective strategies for crime reduction. With a focus on the Mexico City Police Department, we are collecting and analyzing “hot-spot” data from crime reports, demographic census, death certificates, forensic centers, hospital records, victimization surveys, victim reports, geographic information systems, and administrative police documents. We will then plan to carry out a randomized control trial to test the impact of diverse police strategies designed to reduce crime, empower local neighborhoods, and enhance trust between citizens and authorities.

Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM). The Lab and ITAM have been collaborating since 2009 in field research projects throughout Mexico, including Oaxaca and Chiapas where we collected data and wrote a report on indigenous governance in southern Mexico. We have sponsored joint conferences on citizen security in Latin America, the first at ITAM in May 2013 and the second one at Stanford in May 2014. ITAM students from the Political Science Department have been collaborating with the Crime Lab as research assistants on projects dealing with public safety and development in Brazil and Mexico. These collaborations will be further enhanced with a collaboration agreement signed between FSI and ITAM to further academic exchanges, teaching and research.

Laboratory for the Analyses of Violence (LAV). LAV is an academic organization from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) that produces public policy-oriented research in the areas of public safety, violence, crime, justice and human rights with a focus in Rio de Janeiro. The institution also offers consulting services to government agencies, NGOs and civil society organizations, and conducts evaluation of different programs aimed at influencing policymakers to foster change. Our Lab partnered with LAV’s team to conduct an extensive survey in 22 police battalions and 35 UPPs (Pacifying Police Units) located in various zones of Rio. Over 6,000 police officers - including 70 commanders - took part in the unprecedented study.