The New York Times reported yesterday that “The Bush administration is replacing the director of a small but critical branch of the Justice Department, months after he complained that senior political officials at the department were seeking to play down newly compiled data on the aggressive police treatment of black and Hispanic drivers.” Lawrence Greenfeld’s demotion at the Bureau of Justice Statistics is the latest in a series of actions which, many criminologists contend, threaten the integrity of the nation’s knowledge base on crime and Justice. I certainly couldn’t do my work without unbiased data on crime rates and incarceration, or unvarnished reports of funded research. I literally visit the BJS site every day and I’m continually astounded at the timeliness and quality of the work produced and compiled by this small agency. And I’m clearly not alone. Judging from the flurry of emails and calls I’ve gotten about this demotion, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some high-profile op/eds and special sessions devoted to the issue at meetings. Fortunately, the large-scale study of police/citizen relations remains available for all to see. Click here for the “uncut and unrated” BJS report by Matthew R. Durose, Erica L. Schmitt, and Patrick A. Langan.