Officer safety

Current and Future Research on Body Armor

Director’s Corner: Responding to Sexual Assaults

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month and I want to take this opportunity to reflect upon all the strides we have made to sexual assault response practice as a country, and how the lessons learned, investments, and technological advances have made it possible for the apprehension of more criminals, and for victims of sexual assault to find closure.

While it is important to celebrate victories...

Director’s Corner: Improved Officer Safety in 2017 — and Beyond

American law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to keep their communities safe, and sometimes they pay the ultimate price. Every year, officers are killed in the line of duty. 2017 saw a decrease of more than 10 percent in line-of-duty deaths, from 143 in 2016 to 128 last year, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Although the year-to-year...

Director’s Corner: Spotlight on NIJ Research at International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference

Next week, law enforcement leadership from around the world will attend the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), in Philadelphia. On Saturday, October 21, NIJ will host our 4th annual Saturday Session around the theme “What Works and What Matters in Policing.”

The session will include three panels bringing together law enforcement and academic experts to discuss officer safety, technology...

Second Progress Report: NIJ's Response to "Strengthening the National Institute of Justice"

Message from NIJ Director John H. Laub in response to the report Strengthening the National Institute of Justice by the Committee on Assessing the Research Program of the National Institute of Justice at the National Research Council.

This page provides updates on our response to the results of an evaluation by The National Academy of Sciences that examined NIJ capacity for meeting the needs of...

NIJ Journal Issue 253, January 2006

NIJ Journal Issue 262, March 2009

Police Roadside Safety

Evidence-Based Practices Using Data to Drive Down Traffic Fatalities

Traffic Safety and Pursuit Management

Law enforcement officers face many different dangerous and stressful situations in the line of duty. Some, such as gun violence, are obvious; others dangers (e.g., fatigue) are hidden, but common, and can greatly hinder officer performance. Officer performance is also affected by training and other factors.

NIJ supports work to study and improve officer performance and safety on several fronts. For decades, NIJ has been on...