A Northeastern professor of criminology and criminal justice, Piza assumes the role with a slew of new projects that aim to make an impact in the world of policing and crime analysis.
Eric Piza, a professor of criminology and criminal justice, has been named the new Lipman Family Chair in Northeastern University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Established in 1999 by Ira Lipman, the founder of private security company Guardsmark, the Lipman Family Chair supports the work of Northeastern academics whose research and instruction in criminology and criminal justice has real-world impacts.
“I was humbled and very excited to have the opportunity to try to contribute to that mission through my work,” Piza says.
Piza’s work sits at the nexus of crime analysis, policing and security, with a focus on integrating academic research with police practice. He follows in the footsteps of James Alan Fox, who held the position for over 20 years and whose renowned work on mass murder and gun violence has influenced U.S. policy.
“Eric brings extensive experience in the areas of crime analysis and security,” says Benjamin Lipman, who, after Lipman’s death in 2019, has continued his family’s relationship with the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. “His innovative approach to crime prevention in policing through the Crime Prevention Lab has garnered international praise. This appointment will further enhance the world-renowned Northeastern School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.”
Piza steps into the role with a number of new research partnerships with local law enforcement agencies across the country that aim to open new pathways in the study of policing practices and crime. These projects include a study of use of force training in the Colorado Springs Police Department, an analysis of shooting investigations with the New Jersey State Police and work with the Kansas City Police Department to understand how to make police-citizen interactions more positive.
“Especially in a field such as criminology, I think academics should be more at the forefront of these discussions, and I see research as a way to help practitioners move the field forward by uncovering scientific discoveries that perhaps practitioners couldn’t come to on their own,” Piza says. “Analyzing problems, evaluating potential solutions all for the purpose of having a real-world impact and influencing practice in the field –– that’s really what I think researchers should be doing in academia.”