Watchmen or Warfighters?

August 31, 2016

Derek M. Cohen, Ph.D.

Derek M. Cohen, Ph.D, is the Foundation’s Chief Research Officer and Right on Crime Senior Fellow. Previously the Vice President of Policy and Director of Right on Crime, the Foundation’s criminal justice reform initiative, Cohen was instrumental in the passage of the First Step Act, federal legislation that borrowed from successful changes to prisons and sentencing that he had helped pass in conservative states. In addition to leading the Foundation’s work on criminal justice, he is also the lead researcher of firearms policy.

Greg Glod

@GregGlodTPPF

Greg Glod is the senior criminal justice policy fellow for Americans for Prosperity.

Michael Haugen

@HaugenATX

Watchmen or Warfighters? This report analyzes the $1.86 billion worth of materiel has been distributed nationally since the program’s inception – $124.91 million worth of materiel has been distributed to Texas. The legislature should institute reforms that increase both transparency and accountability.

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Womb & Board

Rising housing costs are delaying marriage and childbearing by preventing young adults from forming independent households, thereby making housing affordability a central driver of declining family formation and demographic stability. Key points: Housing affordability directly shapes whether young adults can form independent households, influencing marriage, fertility, and long-term family stability. Rising housing costs and limited...

April 2, 2026

Election Integrity

Consolidating Elections to Increase Turnout and Save Taxpayer Dollars

Uniform election dates produce four main benefits: 1) higher voter turnout, 2) election administration cost savings, 3) decreased likelihood of special interests dominating a low-turnout election, and 4) reduced election worker burnout. Key points: Seven states require municipal elections to be consolidated with even-year federal election dates. This increases turnout and saves $29.5-129 million for...

March 20, 2026

Energy & Environment

Fool Me Twice: Why the Texas Grid is Still Vulnerable to Winter Storms | Part 3: How Texas Can Solve Its Winter Reliability Problem

Part 3: How Texas Can Solve Its Winter Reliability Problem Five years after Winter Storm Uri, the ERCOT grid is still not ready for the next major winter storm. The first two installments of this series showed that demand has grown more than 20% since 2021 while firm generation capacity has barely budged, and the...

February 12, 2026