Temple criminologists Jerry Ratcliffe and Elizabeth Groff helped the Philadelphia police develop a winning proposal for the Smart Policing Initiative, a federally-funded pilot program aimed at developing effective crime-fighting strategies. The approach integrates the use of foot patrols, problem solving and targeting known criminals in 60 locations across the city. This fall, Ratcliffe and a team of grad students will analyze data to determine which approach had more success. "We can use science to understand what works best and why," Ratcliffe said. "Whatever happens with the results, we will learn about crime reduction and about making change in a large police organization." After Ratcliffe and his researchers determine which approach had the most impact on violent crime, the department will seek to implement that strategy on a larger scale.