Katie Zafft, Ph.D., is a Senior Program Manager II at the National Policing Institute. She joined NPI in November 2024 to direct the Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab, a federally-funded effort to identify and disseminate evidence-based, innovative policing practices, training, and technical assistance.

Previously, Dr. Zafft managed the policing and evaluation portfolio of work at the Crime and Justice Institute. She worked with departments to advance mandated change and with law enforcement agencies focused on self-directed innovation, guiding and supporting the implementation of initiatives that directly benefited officers and the communities they served.

Dr. Zafft holds a Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, a Master’s Degree in Criminology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Minnesota.