The scholarship memorializes Lt. Finn’s commitment to putting social science and scientific analysis to work in the service of policing. Selection criteria include:
- a record of academic excellence;
- a demonstrable interest in applying social science methods to developing and evaluating solutions to crime and other public safety problems; and
- a demonstrable interest in working for or in collaboration with law enforcement agencies (https://www.albany.edu/uafoundation/sap_Criminal_Justice.shtml).
Institute director Rob Worden delivered remarks at the ceremony. He said “Hannah fits these scholarship criteria to a tee. Following her graduation from Connecticut College and a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, she was moved by the national turmoil over police-involved deaths of civilians to enroll in our MA program last fall with a view toward becoming involved in research and working within the system to promote reform. She has excelled academically. And she is now engaged in research on and with law enforcement to promote best practices.” He added that “Hannah is passionate about justice, innately inquisitive, and keenly analytical.”
Among previous Finn Scholars the Institute counts current trustee Heidi Bonner and Lead Crime Analyst Anne-Laure Del Cerro. Former Institute Crime Analyst Jennifer Grella was the first recipient of the scholarship, in 2005.
