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Expanding Research to Examine the Impacts of Forensic Science on the Criminal Justice System

December 2020

In 2004, the National Institute of Justice created the social science research on forensic sciences (SSRFS) research program to explore the impact of forensic sciences on the criminal justice system and the administration of justice. Much of the early research from the SSRFS program focused on DNA processing and the use of DNA in investigations and prosecutions.

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TECHBeat, December 2017

Date Published
January 2018
Publication Type
Report (Technical Assistance), Report (Grant Sponsored), Report (Annual/Periodic), Program/Project Description, Instructional Material
Agencies
NIJ-Sponsored

Research and Law Enforcement Partnerships Manage Civil Disturbances More Effectively

August 2019
Series
Research Spotlight

Law enforcement agencies can use research-based practices to manage protests and civil disturbances more effectively. In this video, Dr. Tamara Herold, Associate Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Ryan Lee, Assistant Chief, Portland Police Bureau, discuss some of those methods, some of the misconceptions about how law enforcement should respond to civil disturbances, and where agencies should begin when developing civil disturbance response plans. 

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The National Broadband (Communications) Plan: Issues for Public Safety

June 2011

The Federal Communications Commission delivered the National Broadband Plan in March 2010. As part of the plan, the FCC proposed a strategy for implementing a national public safety broadband network that would allow public safety responders anywhere in the nation to send and receive critical voice, video and data to save lives, reduce injuries, and prevent acts of crime and terror. How this strategy is implemented will have a significant impact on criminal justice and other public safety agencies nationwide, both with respect to operational capability and to resources.

The NIJ/IACP Partnership

January 2016

This video, featuring NIJ Director Nancy Rodriguez and Hassan Aden of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), describes the partnership between NIJ and IACP and how the two organizations are linking what we know about what works in policing to the field.

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NIJ’s Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Program

March 2016

This video, featuring NIJ Director Nancy Rodriguez, Hassan Aden of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and two scholars from the 2014 Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) program, describes the LEADS program, how NIJ and IACP are building the next generation of law enforcement leadership, and how the program has benefited the scholars.

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The State of the Police Field: A New Professionalism in Policing?

June 2010

Panelists debate the premise of a Harvard Executive Session working paper that suggests police organizations are striving for a "new" professionalism. Leaders are endeavoring for stricter standards of efficiency and conduct, while also increasing their legitimacy to the public and encouraging innovation. Is this new? Will this idea lead to prematurely discarding community policing as a guiding philosophy?

A View From the Street: Police Leaders Share Their Perspectives on Urgent Policy and Research Issues

June 2010

Sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and its Research Advisory Committee (RAC), this panel unites law enforcement leaders from across the country to discuss their policy and research concerns. Charles Wellford, IACP RAC co-chair and University of Maryland professor, will facilitate the panel. Presenters will discuss urgent policing issues that merit ongoing research, law enforcement and academic research partnerships, and how research can and does affect agency policy and operations.

Are CEDs Safe and Effective?

June 2010

Thousands of law enforcement agencies throughout the United States have adopted conducted energy devices (CEDs) as a safe method to subdue individuals, but are these devices really safe? What policies should agencies adopt to ensure the proper use of this technology? This NIJ Conference Panel discusses the physiological effects of electrical current in the human body caused by CEDs, as well as how this technology can reduce injuries to officers and suspects when appropriate policies and training are followed.