James R. Brunet

James R. Brunet is an Associate Professor of Public Administration and Director of the Public Safety Leadership Initiative at North Carolina State University (NC State), within the School of Public and International Affairs. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Siena College (1988), an M.P.A. in Public Affairs from the University of Connecticut (1990), and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from NC State (2003).

His research focuses on improving police performance, social equity in criminal justice systems, and applied ethics in public administration. Notably, he is developing a virtual reality (VR) training program to enhance cross-cultural relations between police and Latino communities. He has directed law enforcement leadership programs and trained thousands of public safety officials, many of whom have attained command-level positions.

Brunet’s work spans qualitative studies on technology adoption in policing, intersectoral collaboration, and systemic equity challenges in rural law enforcement. His publications address topics like police performance measurement, institutionalizing problem analysis, and the decline of rural police departments in North Carolina.

His educational background and career emphasize practical leadership development and bridging gaps between theoretical public administration principles and real-world implementation. Current initiatives include advancing equity-focused curricula in public administration and leveraging technology for community-policing improvements.