The Marion Police Department is teaming up with University of Iowa researchers to improve policing strategies, pending approval by the Marion City Council.
Criminologists from the UI Public Policy Center will be embedded with the police department to promote "Intelligence Led Policing."
Marion Police Chief Joe McHale says the partnership will help the department analyze information including locations and types of criminal activity.
"And really help us build a beat strategy for the department that’s based on data so we can look at how we’re deploying our officers, how we’re responding to crime, and how we’re going to build the department’s capacity moving into the future," McHale says.
The Marion City Council is scheduled to approve the partnership Thursday. McHale says the project will start next week.
