Dr. Timothy Lauger joins Niagara University's criminal justice department

It's been a busy couple of years for Timothy R. Lauger, Ph.D. The Wisconsin native earned his doctorate from Indiana University Bloomington in 2010 and recently finished his first book, which is set to be published in September.

And this August, Lauger will join Niagara University as an assistant professor of criminal justice.

Lauger comes to NU from Erie, Pa., where he served as an assistant professor of criminal justice at Mercyhurst College since 2008. He received his doctorate in criminal justice from IU in 2010 after engaging in an 18-month ethnographic study of active gang members in Indianapolis. Rutgers University Press will publish his book that resulted from that study, "Real Gangstas: Legitimacy, Reputation, and Violence in the Intergang Environment," this fall.

In addition, Lauger is currently working on multiple articles related to the street culture among street youth, evidence-based violence-reduction policies and intelligence-led policing. He hopes to develop a long-term research agenda that focuses on street gangs, street violence and urban crime problems in Buffalo.

Over the last few years, Lauger has taught several criminal justice courses, including introduction to criminal justice, street gangs in contemporary society, urban crime problems, police functions, and criminal justice administration.

To learn more about Niagara University's criminology and criminal justice programs, call 716-286-8080 or visit http://www.niagara.edu/crj.