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Policing strategies

NIJ's Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholars Programs

Apply to be a scholar!

NIJ is accepting applications for law enforcement and civilian scholars. All applications are due May 3, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET. Lean how to apply for:

The National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholars Program is designed to increase the research capabilities of law enforcement professionals and agencies. In recent...

NIJ LEADS Program Increases Research Capabilities of Law Enforcement Officers

October 2019
Series
Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science Program Spotlight

This video, produced for IACPTV, provides an overview of the NIJ Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) program. NIJ LEADS Scholars from Dayton and Newark police departments provide an overview of the LEADS program as they describe their projects and experiences working in the program.

Hear from LEADS scholars Major Wendy Stiver, Dayton Police Department, and Captain Ivonne Roman, Newark Police Department.

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Legitimacy and Community Cooperation With Law Enforcement

August 2009
Series
Research for the Real World

Tom R. Tyler, chair of the New York University psychology department, describes research on profiling and community policing. His research found that citizens of all races show greater respect for law enforcement when they believe officers are treating them fairly. Even citizens who experienced a negative outcome getting a traffic ticket, for example showed higher levels of respect for and cooperation with law enforcement as long as they believed they were not being singled out unfairly.

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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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Director’s Message: Proactive Policing — What We Know and What We Don’t Know, Yet

There essentially are two ways to police: reactive and proactive. Reactive policing is epitomized by officers responding to calls-for-service. Proactive policing is getting out in front of events in the hopes of preventing crimes and working with the community to reduce crimes.

Proactive policing strategies hold great promise to prevent and reduce crime and potentially improve relations between officers and the communities they serve. However...

Director’s Corner: CrimeSolutions Has Rated 500 Programs and Counting

David B. Muhlhausen, September 2017

It’s important to celebrate milestones, and CrimeSolutions has hit a big one — 500 rated programs. That’s 500 opportunities for the criminal and juvenile justice and victim service practitioners and policymakers we serve to learn about what works, what doesn’t, and what’s promising.

While I am relatively new to the National Institute of Justice...

Third 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.

Responding to the NRC Report

This page provides updates on our response to the results of an evaluation by The National Academy of Sciences's National Research Council that...

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?

What Is Research and Evaluation Evidence and How Can We Use It?

June 2010

This NIJ Conference Panel will explore the development and use of evidence-based policies, programs and technologies to improve effectiveness and efficiencies related to government. Through casual observation, practices and programs may appear to be effective, but under closer scrutiny the results may look much different.

Director's Message: Building Our Next Generation of Researchers

Two students working on a paper
Thinkstock, royalty-free (see reuse policy).

As colleges and universities across the country begin a new academic year, I want to discuss one of my high-priority goals — supporting the research activities of new and emerging scholars. These creative thinkers from a variety of disciplines are proposing innovative ideas to study and solve criminal justice problems. I am proud to offer my support in the form of fellowships and research assistantships...

Policing Strategies

Police and researchers have developed a variety of different policing strategies, philosophies, and methods for dealing with crime. Often, different approaches to policing overlap because different groups come up with similar solutions to the same problems. Policing strategies have varying goals including crime prevention, effective use of police resources, or suspect location. Rigorous research can determine which strategies are the most effective in various circumstances...