On Thursday, March. 2, at noon in the large conference room (LEF-2165e), Sam Quinney, the Director of The Lab @ DC, a research lab housed in the Washington, D.C. mayor's office, will present recent evidence from RCTs run by the lab in the area of public safety.
Abstract:
The Lab @ DC is is an applied scientific team in the DC Mayor's Office. Since 2017, The Lab has conducted more than 40 projects aimed at improving the lives of residents, including more than 20 Randomized Evaluations across a variety of policy domains. The Lab's Director, Sam Quinney, will discuss how DC government has successfully used randomized evaluations to iteratively improve on criminal justice and public safety outcomes for residents. His presentation will focus on how an evaluation of the impact of Body-Worn Cameras has laid the foundation for evaluations of innovative police trainings and how an evaluation of 911 call triage processes can service as a jumping off point for testing alternatives to a police response for mental health crises. Sam will highlight both successes and failures in The Lab's work, so that attendees interested in conducting research within government can learn from both.
Bio:
Sam is the Director of The Lab @ DC. Under his leadership, The Lab works to generate timely, relevant, and high-quality evidence to improve lives in the District. Sam joined the Lab in January 2016 as its first full-time employee. Prior to joining The Lab @ DC, Sam worked at the US Department of Education (ED) and White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. In those roles, Sam worked to embed behavioral insights and rigorous testing within the department’s outreach to struggling student borrowers. He also contributed to the development and evaluation of many ED initiatives related to school turnaround, high school graduation, teacher preparation, and college choice. Sam holds a B.A. in political science and writing from Villanova University, a secondary teaching certification from University of Pennsylvania, and a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Chicago. Sam lives in Ward 6 in Capitol Hill East with his wife, Kelly, his toddler Isaiah, and their dog, Nova.
