Research and Policy Consultancy

Dawson Analytics Inc. has worked collaboratively with the West Vancouver Police Department since 2021 on several initiatives and projects:

  • Audits of operational practices

  • Creation of policy and policy reviews

  • Community surveys and accompanying reports

  • Identification of evidence-based strategies and implementation recommendations

Organizational Review

Dawson Analytics Inc. worked as part of a team of research consultants to complete an independent assessment of how the Saanich Police Department (SPD) is organized and governed, and how it operates. Dawson Analytics Inc. worked alongside SPD to review staffing and deployment, and operational processes to examine how well SPD is responding to community safety priorities and utilizing resources to support public safety.

Homelessness Outreach Program Assessment

We worked collaboratively with the City of Burnaby to examine the need for and design of their newly implemented homelessness outreach program. The project included a comprehensive literature review and environmental scan to identify evidence-based and best practices in addressing homelessness and existing services in Burnaby, qualitative interviews with homelessness service providers and unsheltered and housing insecure individuals to identify gaps in services and perceptions of homelessness outreach, a program logic model, and an evaluation framework to examine the outcomes and impacts of the program.

Community Consultation

Dawson Analytics Inc. worked as part of a research team that was tasked with obtaining and summarizing feedback from key community stakeholders in relation to policing and the expectations of the newly implemented Surrey Police Service. Dawson Analytics Inc. analyzed the qualitative data and co-wrote the final report.

Policy Research

We completed a comprehensive review of Body-Worn Camera policies and standards and developed a policy template and accompanying implementation considerations for the Canadian Police Association.

Event Hosting

Dawson Analytics Inc. has presented at and been a two-time host of the International Use of Force Expert Conference by the Justice Institute of BC and the Law Enforcement Training Association.