Dr. Theodore S. Lentz is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His research areas are gun violence, spatial criminology, decision-making, and social networks. He uses geographic information systems, simulation, and advanced statistical modeling to examine the social processes that underlie crime patterns and trends.

Dr. Lentz is currently involved in evaluating community partnership programs that aim to reduce gun violence in high-risk communities, including Cure Violence and Project LIFE. He has worked closely with the police and circuit attorney’s office to improve gun violence response and prevention using data and analysis.

Dr. Lentz teaches Criminological Theory & Policy, Introduction to Criminal Justice, and Issues in Law Enforcement Policy & Practice. He also serves on the Social Justice Committee and Graduate Admissions Committee.

Education:

• Ph.D., Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 2020
• M.S., Criminal Justice, Texas State University, 2016
• B.A., Criminal Justice & Geography, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 2014

Professional Interests:

• Gun Violence
• Spatial Criminology
• Decision-making
• Social Networks

Current Committee Service:

• Social Justice Committee (chair)
• Graduate Admissions Committee

Professional Affiliations:

• American Society of Criminology
  • Divisions: Communities and Place, Critical Criminology and Social Justice

Media Coverage:

• Scared To Talk: What's Fueling the Deadly Crime Wave in Milwaukee
  Patch.com (March 31, 2022)
• Over 11,500 vehicles were stolen across the Milwaukee area in 2021. The trend doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (January 14, 2022)
• Gun Violence Crisis MKElifestyle (December 22, 2021)
  

Publications:

• Huebner, B.M., T.S. Lentz, & M. Gibson. Systematic case review strategies: An application for jail population reduction. Justice Quarterly. doi: 10.1080/07418825.2020.1819384.
• Huebner, B. M., Lentz, T. S., & Schafer, J. A. (2020). Heard shots–call the police? An examination of citizen responses to gunfire. Justice Quarterly, 1-24. doi: 10.1080/07418825.2020.1799063.
• Hipple, N. K., Huebner, B. M., Lentz, T. S., McGarrell, E. F., & O'Brien, M. (2020). The case for studying criminal nonfatal shootings: Evidence from four Midwest cities. Justice Evaluation Journal, 3(1), 94-113.
• Lauritsen, J. L., & Lentz, T. S. (2019). National and local trends in serious violence, firearm victimization, and homicide. Homicide Studies, 23(3), 243-261.
• Lentz, T. S. (2018). Crime diversity: Reexamining crime richness across spatial scales. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 34(3), 312-335.

Curriculum Vitae