Laure Brooks is an Instructor and the former Director of Undergraduate Studies (2004-2023) in the University of Maryland’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. She received her Ph.D, M.A., and B.A. all from the Criminology Department at the University of Maryland. She teaches the undergraduate research methods course and a course on policing. Her research interest is in the area of policing where she has studied police discretion, police stress, and violence against police. Dr. Brooks was the recipient of both the 2012 College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Dean's Medal and the Excellence in Teaching Award, and the 1999 College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Excellence in Teaching Mentorship Award .  She has been named a Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars Mentor five times. She was awarded the American Society of Criminology 2014 Teaching Award.