Enhancing Police Research Partnerships: A Path to Actionable Findings and Community Trust
Article Information
Citation
La Vigne, N. (2026). Enhancing police research partnerships: A path to actionable findings and community trust. NIJ LEADS Special Issue, 1-3.
Keywords
Evidence-based policing, police-researcher partnerships, NIJ LEADS, research translation, practitioner-scholar model
Research Summary
This introductory article by Nancy La Vigne explores how the National Institute of Justice’s Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) program strengthens partnerships between police agencies and researchers. La Vigne discusses the importance of practitioner-engaged research and how LEADS scholars bridge the gap between academic knowledge and operational practice.
The article highlights successful collaboration models, barriers to effective partnerships, and strategies for building trust between law enforcement and the research community. As the opening piece for this special issue, it sets the stage for the research articles that follow, each demonstrating the value of evidence-based approaches to policing challenges.
Companion Video
Introduction to the NIJ LEADS Special Issue
Dr. La Vigne discusses the NIJ LEADS program’s impact on evidence-based policing and introduces the special issue’s key themes.