Joel Caplan
Co-Executive Director

Ph.D. (2008) Univ. of Pennsylvania

Dr. Joel Caplan works with cities and towns to prevent crime, improve community policing, and make data-informed decisions that enhance public safety. He specializes in GIS mapping and crime pattern analysis, and co-developed Risk Terrain Modeling (with Leslie Kennedy), a core tool of the Newark Public Safety Collaborative (NPSC).

Joel is a Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University where he has been teaching and conducting research for over 15 years. He has published two books with the University of California Press and authored over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles. This scholarship has been applied to professional practice around the world, has garnered a reputation of prominence the field of criminal justice, and has been featured by The White House, United Nations, National Academy of Sciences, National Institute of Justice, The World Bank, Forbes, TED Talks, PBS NOVA, and the National Geographic Channel. Prior to earning his PhD in Social Welfare Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, Joel served the public as a police officer, 9-1-1 dispatcher, and Emergency Medical Technician. His background and experience makes him a frequently invited speaker at international conferences and events on the subject of place-based crime prevention.

As a founder and Co-Executive Director of the NPSC, Joel works to promote its original mission and objectives while growing community engagement opportunities and strengthening existing relationships in concert with the NPSC team. Specifically, he is primarily responsible for helping local stakeholders in other cities and towns in the U.S. and globally to initiate and sustain their own data-informed community engagement (DICE) via the public safety collaborative (PSC) model with the same principles and effectiveness that the NPSC has exemplified since its inception.