NIJ's Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science Scholars Program for Civilians

The Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Civilians program offers a unique opportunity to engage and partner with other NIJ LEADS Scholars, all of whom are mid-career police officers, fellow civilians, and academics dedicated to advancing the police profession through science. 

The program has grown to over 130 sworn officers, civilians, and academics nationwide. Current and alumni Scholars represent a closely engaged network of individuals committed to using evidence and data to inform law enforcement policy and practice. 

NIJ LEADS Scholars are champions and leaders of evidence-based policing. Frequently presenting and publishing their findings, LEADS Scholars have tested the effectiveness of a wide variety of policy and practice innovations, including violence reduction strategies in Delaware, drones as first responders in Maryland, automated license plate readers in California, patrol vehicle lighting schemes in Connecticut, and agency recruitment and retention programs in South Carolina. Scholars have conducted LEADS-supported research on body-worn cameras, GPS monitoring, and risk assessment tools. LEADS scholars have also studied ways to infuse evidence into everyday decision-making, including how to integrate high-quality research and evidence-based practices into police academy curricula.

Conducting practitioner-led research and applying evidence-based practices require the efforts and commitments of police professionals throughout an agency. Law enforcement civilians perform a growing number of police functions and are often integral in conducting and promoting research and evidence integration. There is often collaboration among these professionals in law enforcement agencies, and the LEADS Scholars program seeks to strengthen the foundation for this type of networking among multi-disciplinary experts to better solve challenges in their communities.

Eligibility and Expectations

Civilian applicants to the LEADS Scholars program must be employed full-time in the United States by a law enforcement or government agency working directly within or with a law enforcement agency and must have responsibilities relevant to advancing the use of data and integration of research into policies and practices. Such roles include (but are not limited to):

• Crime analysts
• Law enforcement planners
• Project managers
• Legal analysts
• Technology specialists
• Trainers
• Psychologists

If potential applicants are not employees of a state or local law enforcement or executive branch agency, or a multiagency organization directly serving local or state law enforcement agencies in a government-like role (e.g., directly administering a multiagency justice information sharing system or regional academy training), they are not currently eligible for the program. Only direct employees of these organizations – not contract employees – are eligible for the program. Staff or faculty of state university systems, unless acting in a government-like role (e.g., acting as the government designated police academy for their state or locality), are not currently eligible.

The LEADS program acknowledges that participants are working full-time for a law enforcement or government agency, and the program is designed to be flexible and dependent on the capacity of the Scholar and the demands of their agency. However, there are two meetings LEADS Scholars are expected to attend that may require travel: the annual IACP Conference, including a pre-conference LEADS meeting and discussion (4-5 days), and the NIJ Summer Session in Washington, DC (2-3 days). 

Program Activities

The LEADS Scholars program requires a three-year commitment that provides Civilians with opportunities to participate in a variety of activities, including:

• Programming at the IACP Annual Conference, beyond the expected participation in the pre-conference meeting and orientation day discussed above, including:
  • Attendance at the IACP Research Advisory Committee (RAC) and the newly formed IACP Police Research Advancement Section (PRAS) meetings.
• Collaborative brainstorming events between LEADS Scholars, NIJ science staff, IACP, and NPI.
• Opportunities to present and/or lead panels on research and findings at academic and law enforcement conferences and publish in academic and practitioner-focused magazines and journals.
• Attendance at the annual International Association of Crime Analysts meeting or comparable meeting based on their role in their agency.
• Participation in professional development activities hosted by the IACP and NPI.
• Integration into an online community of practice, moderated by NPI, that connects both current Scholars and alumni and serves as a forum for participant information sharing related to policing research.
• Participation in peer review of research applications submitted to NIJ.
• Research project training and technical assistance (e.g., improving data collection and analysis, integrating existing research into policies and practices, designing research projects) from the LEADS online community of practice and supporting organizations (IACP and NPI).  

NIJ covers all U.S domestic travel, accommodation, and per diem costs for Scholars’ event participation associated with the LEADS program.

LEADS Scholars are encouraged to pursue projects that directly respond to the priority needs of their agency. While this program does not include direct funding to support original research, LEADS Scholars will receive notification of funding resources and programs, including from entities such as the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).

Application Process

When NIJ is accepting applications, interested applicants must submit the following materials to [email protected]. In the email subject line please put LEADS CIVILIAN APPLICATION.

• Current CV
• Letter of support from your supervisor (acknowledging the three-year commitment)
• Personal essay. Applicants should address the following questions in a 4-page (maximum) double-spaced document, using a standard 12-point font, with no less than 1-inch margins:
  1. Why do you want to participate in this program?
  2. How have you advanced the use of data and research at your agency? To the extent possible, describe a specific effort, your role in it, and how the results of that effort were put into practice.
  3. If you become a LEADS Scholar, what unique experiences or capabilities do you bring that could benefit the other members of the LEADS Scholar network of participants and alumni?
  4. How could participation in the LEADS program assist in your efforts to strengthen research and evaluation in your agency or policing more broadly over the next three to five years?  What are your near-, mid-, and longer-term plans for doing so?

Direct all questions to [email protected].