Heleana Melendez

Heleana Melendez is an expert in criminal justice research and policing. Her research areas include social network analysis, violent crime investigations, cryptomarkets and police reform. At CNA, Melendez supports projects focused on violence prevention, system improvement, crisis intervention and use of force for law enforcement agencies across the nation.

Prior to joining CNA, Melendez was a research program manager with Justice & Security Strategies, Inc., where she worked on several research projects related to policing and other criminal justice topics. Her previous research is in violent crime investigations and body-worn cameras.

Melendez holds a Master of Science in criminology and criminal justice from California State University, Long Beach, and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and Russian language and literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Russian.