Community & Applied Research 

Photo By: Marcelo Cidrack

Applied research on community policing, partnerships, and institutional practice in urban contexts.

Community-Based Policing & Public Safety

Examining community policing in practice, with a focus on trust, visibility, and relationships across urban neighbourhoods.

Program Evaluation & Applied Research

Leading mixed-method evaluations of multi-agency initiatives, with a focus on implementation and system-level impact.

Crime, Media & Representation

Examining how media representations of crime and violence shape public understanding and institutional response.

APPLIED POLICING RESEARCH -

ONGOING EVALUATION -

Downtown Yonge area in Toronto, where a multidisciplinary public safety initiative was evaluated.

Selected Work in Practice

These projects demonstrate applied research across policing, partnerships, and institutional practice.

Conference stage and presentation screen at the Building Bridges evidence-based policing conference.

Public Safety Initiative in Downtown Toronto

CULTURAL CRIMINOLOGY -

(2024-Present)

Independent evaluation of a multidisciplinary public safety initiative in downtown Toronto, focusing on community engagement, service coordination, and system-level impact.
Details are presented at a high level due to confidentiality considerations.

Crime, Media & Representation in Practice

Examines how crime narratives in television and popular media shape understandings of gender, violence, and institutional authority, shaping broader perceptions of crime.

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Police officers at a public event, reflecting research on crime, media, and institutional representation. 
   Photo By: Ethan Wilkinson

Grounded in ongoing partnerships with policing and community organizations.

Neighbourhood Community Officer Program (NCOP)

Building Bridges, Then Burning Them: 

The Evolution of Community Policing in Toronto

A multi-method evaluation of the Neighbourhood Community Officer Program examining how community policing shapes trust, visibility, and engagement in practice, alongside the institutional conditions that support program delivery.

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  • Conference talks and invited lectures sharing applied research insights.

    Pacini, S., Smith, E., & Thomson, D. (2026). Community Development Through Qualitative Research: Understanding the Public’s Perceptions of Safety and Well-Being. Canadian Sociological Association, Congress Annual Conference, (virtual offering).

    Thomson, D., & Smith, E. (2025). Building Bridges, then Burning Them: The Evolution of Toronto Police Service’s Neighbourhood Community Officer Program. Building Bridges: Evidence-Based Policing Conference. Blue Mountain, Ontario.

    Thomson, D., & Smith, E. (2024). Poster. Neighbourhood Policing: Back to the Future. Building Bridges: Evidence-Based Policing Conference. Blue Mountain, Ontario.

    Thomson, D., & Smith, E. (2024). Presentation. Community Policing in Toronto: An Examination of Internal Obstacles. Global Collaboration in Evidence Based Policing (EBP) Conference, (virtual offering).

    Thomson, D., & Smith, E. (2024). Presentation. Policing and the Community: The Internal Threat to Success. Canadian Sociological Association, Congress Annual Conference, (virtual offering).

    Thomson. D, Smith, E.M., & Miceli, A. (2023). Panel Presentation. Measuring the Unmeasurable: Quantifying the Neighbourhood Community Officer Program in Toronto. Canadian Sociological Association, Congress Annual Conference, York University, Toronto, Ontario.

    Thomson, D. & Smith, E.M. (2022). Panel Presentation. The Toronto Neighbourhood Community Officer Program and Academic Collaboration. Exceptional Policing: The Evidence-Based Way, Global Conference, (virtual offering).

    Thomson, D. & Smith, E.M. (2022). Panel Presentation. Police Training in Toronto: A Community-Centered Approach. Canadian Sociological Association, Congress Annual Conference, (virtual offering).

    Smith, E. M. (2021, May). Panel Presentation. Examining the Codependency of Policing Institutions and the News Media in Late Modernity. Canadian Sociological Association, Congress Annual Conference, University of Alberta, (virtual offering).

    Smith, E., Thomson, D., & Pacini, S. (2025). A Carnival of Crime in Happy Valley: An Exploration of Gender and Policing. Canadian Sociological Association, Congress Annual Conference, George Brown College.

    Thomson, D., Smith, E., Lalonde, H., & Bawa, T. (2025). Community Building with Community Policing – Is It Working? Canadian Sociological Association, Congress Annual Conference, George Brown College.

  • Peer-reviewed articles and chapters exploring policing, media, and community.

    Smith, E.M. & Thomson, D. (2023). The Toronto neighbourhood community officer program and academic collaboration. Police Science: Australia & New Zealand Journal of Evidence Based Policing 7(2). https://www.anzsebp.com/police-science/

    Muzzatti, S. M. , Colaguori, C., & Smith, E. M. (2023). Cultural criminology and popular media representations of crime. In C. Colaguori (Ed.), Crime, deviance, and social control in the 21st century: A justice and rights perspective (pp.113-152). Canadian Scholars.

    Smith, E. (2020). “Toronto’s Little Shop of Horrors: A Cultural Criminology Examination on Serial Killer Bruce McArthur and the News Media,” Dissertation. Toronto Metropolitan University Library Digital Repository.

    Muzzatti, S.M. & Smith, E.M. (July 2018). “The spirits tell me that you’re seeking help”: Fortune-telling in late capitalism. In D. Waskul & M. Eaton (Eds.), The Supernatural in Society, Culture, and History (pp. 116-135). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

    Muzzatti, S.M. & Smith, E.M. (2018). Cultural Criminology. In W. S. DeKeseredy & M. Dragiewicz (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Critical Criminology (Second edition, pp.107-119). New York, NY: Routledge.

    Smith, E. (2018) . Commodification of the body. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Surveillance, Security, and Privacy. (pp. 207-208). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

    Smith, E. (2014) . “Female Canadian murderers: The public trials of Karla Homolka and Terri-Lynne McClintic through documentary representations,” Major Research Paper. Scholars Commons at Laurier.

  • Collaborations across policing and community organizations.

    • Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area (DYBIA) — community-based research and program evaluation

    • Toronto Police Service (TPS) — collaborative research and evaluation initiatives

This work continues through presentations, publications, and ongoing collaboration.

Research Contributions 

Additional presentations and publications available upon request

Approach to Research in Practice

This approach brings collaboration, mixed methods, and applied impact together.

Collaborative Engagement

Collaborating with communities and institutions to shape research and outcomes.

Mixed-Method Design

Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine complex issues across levels.

Applied Impact

Producing research that informs practice, decision-making, and policy.