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Use of force

De-escalation Training: What Works, Implementation Lessons, and Taking It to Scale; Plenary at the 2023 NIJ Research Conference

August 2023

Police use of force, while infrequently used, is a tremendous concern to public safety in the United States when officers employ it excessively or inappropriately, causing injury or death and eroding public trust in law enforcement. This plenary from the 2023 NIJ Research Conference describes the Integrating, Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) de-escalation training program developed by the Police Executive Research Forum to guide officers in defusing critical incidents.

Embodying Evidence to Action: Tracking the Impact of Three Key NIJ Research Investments; Opening Plenary of the 2023 NIJ Research Conference

August 2023

This plenary featured three significant areas of NIJ research investment that have had a tremendous impact on both the research community and the field of practice: advances in forensic DNA, police body armor standards, and place-based analyses of public safety. Each topic was explored by a collection of people representing the researcher, practitioner, policymaker, and advocacy perspectives, exploring how evidence generation resulted in changes that improved public safety and yielded more equitable criminal justice outcomes.

NIJ FY23 Research and Evaluation on Policing Practices, Accountability Mechanisms, and Alternatives

Closing Date
Grants.gov Deadline
Application JustGrants Deadline
With this solicitation, NIJ seeks rigorous, applied research and evaluation projects examining the impact of: (1) police accountability practices; (2) the shifting and sharing of police functions; (3) police training; and (4) police officer health and wellness programs on an array of police performance outcomes (e.g., officer intervening and reporting of misconduct, excessive or unnecessary use of force, civilian complaints, officer and civilian injuries, police...

Research and Evaluation on Policing, Fiscal Year 2021

Closing Date
With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for rigorous research and evaluation projects that address (1) re-allocation of resources and police operations and functions; (2) police use of force and de-escalations tactics and strategies; and (3) tactics and strategies that strengthen police-community relationships. These contemporary issues in policing are also reflected in the strategic priorities and objectives identified in NIJ’s Policing Strategic Research Plan, 2017-2022. Among...