Karen Amendola

Karen L. Amendola, Ph.D.

Chief Behavioral Scientist

Science & Innovation Division

Bio

Karen L. Amendola has more than 25 years of experience in public safety research, testing, training, technology, and assessment. With the National Policing Institute for over 20 years, Dr. Amendola currently serves as the Chief Behavioral Scientist. Dr. Amendola earned both her Ph.D. and M.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from George Mason University, as well as an M.A. in Human Resources Management from Webster University. She has worked with dozens of local, state, and federal agencies. Dr. Amendola was Associate Editor for Psychology and Law for the 10-volume Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice published by Springer Verlag, New York (2014).

In addition, Dr. Amendola was the lead investigator of a study of eyewitness identification case outcomes. A series of articles on that research and its outcomes were published in the esteemed Journal of Experimental Criminology (Amendola & Wixted, June 2015). With her colleagues, Amendola’s experiment on compressed work schedules in policing was also published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology, and was awarded the 2012 Outstanding Field Trial by the Division of Experimental Criminology of the American Society of Criminology (a synopsis of the Shift Length Experiment is available online).

Dr. Amendola is a member of the American Psychological Association and its section “Psychologists in Public Service,” American Society of Criminology and its Divisions of Experimental Criminology and Policing, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She was appointed to the APA’s Presidential Task Force on Use of Force Against African Americans, and also served for more than five years on the Scientific Review Committee of the National Center for Credibility Assessment (at the time, it was called the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute).

Dr. Amendola also previously served as Chair of the National Partnership for Careers in Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security, and as a member of the research advisory board of the Innocence Project in New York.

Publications

A selection of Dr. Amendola’s publications is included below. Additional titles may be viewed here.

Amendola, K. L., Hill, C., Valdovinos Olson, M., &  Gorban, B. Jails Compendium: Adapting community-oriented policing strategies and procedural justice for jail communities (2023). Washington, DC. COPS Office, National Policing Institute, and National Sheriffs’ Association.

Valdovinos Olson, M., & Amendola, K.L. (2023). Adopting Community Policing Principles in Jails to Build Community and Improve Safety, Health, and Wellness Outcomes. In D. Rudes, G. Armstrong, K. Kras, & T. Carter (Eds.), Handbook on Prisons and Jails, 206-227. Routledge.

Taniguchi, T., Vovak, H., Cordner, G., Amendola, K., Yang, Y., Hoogesteyn, K., & Bartness, M. (2022). The Impact of Active Bystander Training on Officer Confidence and Ability to Address Ethical Challenges. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice.

Amendola, K. L., Valdovinos Olson, M., Grieco, J., & Robbins, T. G. (2021). Development of a Work–Family Conflict Scale for Spouses or Partners of Police Officers, Policing: An International Journal, 44(2), 275-290. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-07–2020-0127

Friedman, B., Gillooly, J. W., Ponomarkenko, M., Amendola, K. L., Clark, T., Glynn, A., & Owens, M. L. (2021). Police Militarization: A 1033 Program Analysis. New York:  New York School of Law Policing Project. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/61c0891669f48d0d752c153d/1640007960630/Police+Militarization+1033+Analysis+%28Dec+2021%29.pdf

Valdovinos Olson, M., & Amendola, K. L. (2021). Promoting Health, Safety, and Wellness in Los Angeles County Jails: A Process Evaluation of Gender Responsive Programing for Incarcerated Women. Women & Criminal Justice, 31(6), 422-444. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08974454.2019.1700874

Amendola, K. L. (2020). Developing Evidence in De-Escalation of Potential Use of Force Encounters. Arlington, VA:  National Police Foundation, OnPolicing Blog Post. https://www.policefoundation.org/developing-evidence-in-de-escalation-of-potential-use-of-force-encounters/

Amendola, K. L., Perea, C., & Valdovinos, M. (2020). Discerning Bark from Bite: LEOs likely to meet companion dogs in the field need training to recognize common canine behaviors and respond appropriately. Sheriff and Deputy Magazine (Jan/Feb), 72(1), 66-67. National Sheriff’s Association. http://www.ourdigitalmags.com/publication/?m=11768&i=645420&p=68

Amendola, K. L. (2019). Pre-employment Psychological Evaluations for Screening Law Enforcement Personnel:  A Synthesis of Research and Best Practices. Arlington, VA: Police Foundation, under contract from the Major County Sheriffs’ Association.

Amendola, K. L., Valdovinos, M., & Perea, C. (2019). Reducing dog shootings in police encounters: Regulations, policies, practices, and training implications. Washington, DC:  National Police Foundation. https://www.policefoundation.org/publication/reducing-dog-shootings-in-routine-police-encounters-regulations-policies-practices-and-training-implications/

Amendola, Karen L. (2019).  Giving Birth Behind Bars. Entry in The Encyclopedia of Women and Crime, (Frances P. Bernat & Kelly Frailing, Eds.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/9781118929803.ewac0249 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118929803.ewac0249

CRP Incorporated (2019). District of Columbia Police-Community Relations Report (FY 2018). Amendola, K. L., lead consultant and part of the study team (see p. i). https://cjcc.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/cjcc/Police%20Community%20Report.pdf

Areas of Focus

  • Officer safety, health, and wellness
  • Evaluation of evidence
  • Applied psychology in policing
  • Shift scheduling practices
  • Hiring, selection, and promotion
  • Eyewitness identification procedures
  • Organizational culture
  • Performance measurement
  • Psychology and law

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