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Kim Smith
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Protected: Former NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth E. Corey Named Executive Director of the Policing Leadership Academy
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Homicide rate declines sharply in dozens of US cities, a new report shows
The AP’s Claudia Lauer speaks with Crime Lab faculty director Jens Ludwig about the declining homicide rate in cities across the United States.
What it will take to fix American policing
Host Megan McArdle speaks with former New York City police commissioner William Bratton and former NYPD chief and new Policing Leadership Academy executive director Kenneth E. Corey about their work at the Academy and the program’s goals to reduce violence and improve fairness in policing.
Chicago looks to close out 2025 with a 10-year low in violent crime
The Crime Lab’s experts and end-of-year analysis of Chicago crime trends are heavily featured in the latest Crain’s Forum on violence reduction.
Chicago’s Homicides Are Headed for Lowest Tally in 60 Years
Kim Smith, the Crime Lab’s Director of National Programs, speaks with Bloomberg’s Miranda Davis about the 2025 declines in violent crime in Chicago.
The Best Books of 2025
The New Yorker includes Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig’s book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” on its annual list of best books of the year.
The Urban Optimist’s Holiday Gift Guide
Vital City included “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” a book written by Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig, in its 2025 holiday gift guide.
Why Split-Second Thinking Fuels Violence
Jens Ludwig, the Crime Lab’s Pritzker Director, joined the Behavioral Grooves Podcast to discuss his new book, “Unforgiving Places,” which challenges society’s most entrenched assumptions about crime and uncovers what behavioral science reveals about the real causes of violence.
The 82 Books That Top Business Leaders Couldn’t Put Down
Laura Arnold, co-founder and co-chair of Arnold Ventures, recommends Crime Lab Pritzker Director Jens Ludwig’s book, “Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence,” as a part of Bloomberg’s list of best books of the year.
Curbing gun violence in Chicago doesn’t require that we first end poverty
Crime Lab leaders Katie Hill and Jens Ludwig penned an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune highlighting the root causes of gun violence and the growing body of research showing that increased neighborhood vibrancy generates surprisingly large changes in the prevalence of gun violence, by as much as 30%.