Essay

This essay discusses the author’s experience working as an “embedded criminologist” in Boston Police Department. In contrast to more traditional academic-practitioner research partnerships, becoming embedded within a police department involved taking the step from external partner to internal resource. Embedded criminologists maintain their scientific objectivity and independence in carrying out scientific inquires within police departments; however, embedded criminologists also function as an important part of the police organization by collaborating on the development of programs, through problem analysis and evaluation research, and by interjecting scientific evidence into policy conversations to guide police executive decision making.