The University of Scranton will host a presentation by Eric Piza, a geographic information system specialist from the Newark Police Department, about “GIS in Law Enforcement: A Problem Solving Analysis of the Newark Police Department.” The lecture, which is open to the public free of charge, will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. 

Piza will discuss his role in designing crime reduction strategies, and geographic and statistical analysis for weekly Compstat meetings. He will also discuss operating the Geographic Information System (GIS) at Compstat meetings, producing daily reports of crime and officer activity in cities, and conducting “location investigations” for every shooting and home invasion that occurs in a city.

Piza’s experience with New Jersey’s largest city police department gives him insight into the innovative, cutting edge policing strategies used to combat serious, violent crimes. 

Piza has served as the geographic information systems (GIS) specialist for the Newark Police Department since 2007. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from Rutgers School of Criminal Justice. 

The lecture is sponsored by the Sociology/Criminal Justice Department at The University of Scranton. For additional information, contact Michael Jenkins, faculty specialist for sociology and criminal justice, at 570-941-5908 or jenkinsm2@scranton.edu