William Sousa

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Professor, Criminal Justice
Director, Center for Crime and Justice Policy
Expertise: Police Policy, Crime Prevention, Communities and Crime

Biography

William Sousa is a criminologist with expertise in police policy and management, international policing, and community crime prevention. Sousa has been published in a variety of professional publications including the Journal of Experimental Criminology and Police Practice and Research.

From 2002-04, Sousa was the director of evaluation for the Police Institute at Rutgers-Newark where he participated in studies related to violence and disorder in New Jersey neighborhoods. His past research projects include an evaluation of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program in Massachusetts, a study of crime reduction policies implemented by the New York City Police Department, an experiment on TASER use by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and an evaluation of police-led initiatives to improve safety in public parks in Los Angeles. 

His current projects involve police order-maintenance practices, police management, and the impact of body worn cameras on police in Las Vegas. He is also involved in investigations of violence reduction in Las Vegas. Sousa is a professor of criminal justice in the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and the director of the Center for Crime and Justice Policy at UNLV.

Education

  • Ph.D., Criminal Justice, Rutgers University
  • M.S., Criminal Justice, Northeastern University
  • B.A., Criminal Justice, Stonehill College

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crime & criminal justice

William Sousa In The News

FOX5 Investigates: Nevada State Police staffing shortages improving but vacancy rate remains at 33 percent
K.V.V.U. T.V. Fox 5
FOIA request reveals hiring gains, but one-third of trooper positions still unfilled.
4 open murder cases for Las Vegas police in 2025
K.S.N.V. T.V. News 3
Data from the Las Vegas Police Department shows four murder cases remain open for the department this year. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police include the clearance rate as part of their weekly murder stat sheet.
Las Vegas homicides on the decline, returning to pre-pandemic levels
K.S.N.V. T.V. News 3
Homicides in Las Vegas are on the decline, with police reporting numbers not seen since before the pandemic.
Best & Worst States to Be a Police Officer (2025)
Wallet Hub
Law enforcement is a career that is always in the public eye, whether for heroic reasons or scandal. Currently, our nation’s 800,000 law enforcement officers have even more of a spotlight than usual, though, amid high-profile police brutality cases. As a result, the Justice Department and some local police departments have made rule changes like banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants in some situations.
All William Sousa In The News

Articles Featuring William Sousa

UNLV Newsmakers 2020: Social Justice
Claytee White sits in a chair and gestures toward a woman sitting to her right
Arts and Culture | December 30, 2020

A sampling of university experts who sounded off on the year’s monumental movements surrounding race, ethnicity, and gender.

Reform, Defund or Abolish the Police?
Protest signs read "Defund Police" and "Abolish Police"
Research | June 10, 2020

As more municipalities weigh the future of their police departments, UNLV professors explain what these movements mean and how they would work.

All Articles Featuring William Sousa