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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

Fighting the Opioid Crisis

Convening Police Leaders and Researchers to Learn Promising Practices and to Inform Research Agenda

Director Muhlhausen's prepared remarks at the NIJ-hosted Opioid Research Summit.

NIJ Director David B. Muhlhausen at the podium

NIJ Director Muhlhausen

Good morning and welcome to Washington, DC. It’s a privilege to host you here today at the National Institute of Justice. I’m particularly honored to have the Attorney General and the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General with us...

Special Technical Committees: How They Are Changing NIJ's Standards Development Process

June 2010

NIJ has established a new standards development process based on Special Technical Committees whose members include practitioners, scientists, researchers, subject matter experts, staff of test laboratories and major criminal justice stakeholder organizations, and representatives knowledgeable in standards development and conformity assessment. The members collaborate to develop the standard and ensure that practitioner needs are addressed.

Director's Message: Decades of Research Provide Guidance on Police Wellness

One of the most significant — but least understood — realities of research in the social and behavioral sciences is how difficult it can be to identify specific, causal relationships, especially when examining the impact of a particular program. In fact, in all the sciences, small incremental progress is far more common than breakthroughs. That’s why I’m so pleased when I see examples of NIJ’s...

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.

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...