The Herman Goldstein Award honors police officers and their agencies for work in problem-oriented policing.
It is named after University of Wisconsin Law Professor Emeritus Herman Goldstein, who coined this theory of policing, which engages law enforcement officers and communities in solutions-oriented work related to public safety,
according to the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing.
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The award, which is given annually, honors agencies around the world. They apply to be recognized and may submit multiple entries describing "problem-oriented approaches to specific crime and disorder problems," the center noted on its website.
Specific examples of such problems included "drug dealing in a strip mall, loitering day laborers, 911 hang-ups, prostitution and human trafficking, neighborhood drug-dealing and gang activity, drunk driving, school violence, police responses to chronically mentally ill people, gun violence, thefts from construction sites, and street robbery," the center said.
The awards began in 1993. Goldstein's writing on police reform in his 1990 book has become what has been described as the "blueprint" for modern police reform and community-oriented policing,
according to the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology.
The award applications have a detailed scoring process and presentation. They are judged by a seven-member selection committee. Entry submissions must outline measurable success and resolution of problems, and "must address all four phases of the SARA problem-solving model," which includes scanning, analysis, response and assessment.
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Typically, the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing receives between 50 and 70 award applications annually, and selects from five to 10 projects as finalists,
the center's website noted.
The non-profit center was founded in 1999 and was funded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. It holds an annual conference during which the Goldstein awards are announced.
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