Ben Graham

Dr. Benjamin A.T. Graham is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at USC, a principal investigator in the Security and Political Economy (SPEC) Lab, and Research Director for the Law Enforcement Work Inquiry System (LEWIS). He leads the Everyday Respect research project, a multidisciplinary team that builds open-source AI tools to analyze body-worn camera recordings of police traffic stops. These models are trained to reflect the perspectives of a diverse set of human viewers, including both retired officers and individuals who have been arrested in the past. The team applies those tools to answer urgent empirical questions about the foundations of just and effective policing, the determinants of (de)escalation, and patterns in the quality of policing provided across communities. Core aims include transparency, accountability, and constant learning and improvement.