U.S. flag

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

International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)

Perspectives on Research and Evidence-Based Policing

Every year, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) supports 30 midcareer, research-minded law enforcement professionals to take part in professional development and travel opportunities, network, and contribute to the policing and research communities through the Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholars program. The LEADS scholars are both practitioners and researchers. They work in the field while simultaneously striving to evaluate and improve the...

Advances in Investigative Techniques: Drug Monitoring Programs

March 2020

Lieutenant Piotrowski, New Jersey State Police, discusses drug monitoring programs. With this program, his agency collects multiple drug-related data sets to ultimately have an impact on mitigating the impact of drugs in his community. Topics include the benefits of implementing a drug monitoring program, some of the outcomes of the program, and how federal funding can help an agency start such a program.

Lieutenant Piotrowski participated in an NIJ Day panel at the 2019 International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference and Expo.

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

Meet the 2023 Scholars!

The 2023 scholar have been selected. Meet our latest class.

For civilian government professionals working with law enforcement, the Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholars program offers a unique opportunity to partner with other LEADS Scholars in an effort to use evidence-based strategies and locally-tailored research to advance their agency’s mission. 

The LEADS program grew out of a...