U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Protecting our Protectors: Using Science to Improve Officer Safety and Wellness

June 2012

Each year, 100-200 law enforcement officers die in the line of duty. Last year, 177 lost their lives — a 16-percent increase from 2010. As Attorney General Eric Holder noted, this is a devastating and unacceptable trend. NIJ has developed a robust research portfolio to improve officer safety and wellness and, ultimately, save lives. This panel discussed some of NIJ's most promising work to reduce shooting and traffic-related fatalities — consistently the leading causes of officer line-of-duty deaths — and improve officer wellness, which is inextricably linked with officer safety.

Review the YouTube Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy

Collaboration and Coordination for Technology Research and Development

Collaboration and coordination are core tenets of NIJ's science and technology investment strategy.  Forming strategic partnerships with other agencies allows NIJ to leverage investments, avoid duplicating efforts and devote its resources to areas that offer the highest potential payoff for the criminal justice community.

NIJ shares responsibility with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security for providing tools and technology to deal with critical...

Criminal Justice Research and Public Policy

Thank you, Dr. Scherpenzeel, for your generous words.

On behalf of the United States delegation, I want to thank the sponsors of the workshop: The European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, Affiliated with the United Nations [HEUNI], and especially you, Dr. Scherpenzeel, for your efforts in coordinating it. The UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute [UNICRI], the Ministry of Justice of the Netherlands...

Stalking: Lessons from Recent Research

Good morning:

I am very pleased to be here and am grateful for the opportunity to address this important meeting, the Fourth Annual Conference of the National Center on Women and Policing. I recall speaking at your first conference in Washington and am delighted to be with you again today and to see the growth in your membership.

The policing profession is experiencing profound changes...