Technology and Tools

Public safety professionals rely on a variety of equipment and technologies for effective law enforcement and their own safety. NIJ helps ensure that these equipment and technologies meet minimum performance requirements by developing standards and testing equipment against the standards.

NIJ also assists in bringing affordable new equipment to market by funding research and development of innovative technologies.

NIJ maintains a national technology research and development program driven by practitioners—agency priorities are based on what working professionals say is most needed in the field. Teams of professionals (called Technology Working Groups) play a major role throughout NIJ’s research and development process.

NIJ also funds several major science initiatives and national centers that provide technology assistance to law enforcement, corrections, and other public safety or public service agencies.