Eric Dlugolenski is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Prior to taking a full-time tenure track position with CCSU, he was a sergeant in the West Haven, Connecticut, Police Department. Eric served the department for almost a decade. His last assignment was as the sergeant of the Professional Standards Division. In this role, he drafted and updated policies and procedures for the police department, oversaw internal affairs, maintained state accreditation and compliance standards, supervised civilian crime analysts, served as the grant coordinator, and engaged in research and development.

In 2021, Eric completed his Ph.D. in criminal justice at the University of New Haven. Upon completion, he retired from the police force and joined academia.

Eric is a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Law Enforcement Advancing Data Science (LEADS) scholar. As an academic LEADS scholar, he works with practitioners to advance police research and development.

Eric has consulted on a variety of policing projects, provided command-level training for area departments, routinely serves as an ad hoc reviewer for policing publications, and is engaged in several research projects throughout the United States.

He is the current editor of the Police Forum (the official newsletter of the Police Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences). He has co-authored two policing books and co-published an article in a peer-reviewed journal. He has presented his work at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the American Society of Criminology (ASC), and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) annual conferences.

His research interests include procedural justice, police operational strategies, critical decision-making, use of force, officer health and wellness, police management, and the intersection of technology and police practice.

Eric is committed to the advancement of democratic policing, and through this teaching and scholarship, he hopes to inspire a new generation of diverse and compassionate police officers.