Jim Burch

Adjunct Faculty

Jim Burch is currently the President of the National Police Foundation, overseeing the Foundation’s efforts to advance and improve policing through science and innovation.

Mr. Burch joined the National Police Foundation in early 2015, serving as the Foundation’s Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Executive Vice President, overseeing the Foundation’s U.S.-based and International efforts including research, training, and technical assistance portfolios. Mr. Burch has initiated and led the Foundation’s efforts to identify and promote innovations in policing, including evidence-based policy alternatives. As President of the National Police Foundation, Mr. Burch has led efforts to define the organization's strategic priorities, including Force & Firearms, Community Trust, and Officer & Organizational Wellness and Safety.

Mr. Burch formerly served for more than 20 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, having been appointed to various senior executive and leadership positions. Appointed Acting Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance from 2009-2011 by President Barack Obama, Mr. Burch oversaw the Department of Justice’s largest funding bureau designed to support state and local law enforcement in the U.S., with a budget exceeding $500 million annually and led efforts to design and create justice programs and policies. As Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) from 2011 through 2013, Mr. Burch served as the highest-ranking civilian in DOJ’s research and funding arm, overseeing all agency operations and management, interfacing with Congress and with Cabinet-level Officials across DOJ and the federal government. As Acting Assistant Director at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from 2014 to 2015, Mr. Burch had responsibility for overseeing ATF’s Public and Governmental Affairs Directorate, including ATF’s Congressional Affairs, Public Affairs, Inter-Governmental Affairs activities. During his federal career, Mr. Burch spearheaded many efforts to advance criminal justice policy, programs, and initiatives supporting safer communities and state and local law enforcement efforts to provide public safety. Mr. Burch worked closely with other components of the U.S. Department of Justice during his career, including the Civil Rights Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and others. Prior to federal service, Mr. Burch supported justice research in the private sector, worked in a state court system, and held other positions outside of government.

Mr. Burch earned a Master of Science Degree in Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland at College Park. Mr. Burch also serves as a Senior Fellow in the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy at George Mason University, where he was also inducted into the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame in 2015 in recognition of his support for evidence-based policy and federal support.

Mr. Burch also serves on the Board of Directors for multiple national organizations, including the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Fund and Museum, the National Public Safety GIS Foundation, and Street Law, Inc., a program dedicated to educating young people about law and government.