Dr. Joseph J. Lestrange currently serves as the Head of DHS Strategy and Engagement for LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Special Services, supporting public-sector partners by delivering data, analytics, and technology aimed at addressing national security, law enforcement, defense, and other government mission challenges.
He is also the CEO and Founder of VTP Leadership Solutions, a globally influenced consultancy committed to three core missions: helping law enforcement, public safety, and security organizations transform their stated values into consistent, real-world daily practices; educating and preparing police leaders to thoughtfully and responsibly embrace the acquisition and deployment of AI solutions in their agencies; and developing leaders of these organizations at every stage — from emerging supervisors to seasoned executives — through education in value-based and adaptive leadership skills that are essential for navigating the complexities of 21st-century public service.
Previously, Dr. Lestrange served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer for METIS Intelligence, North America, where he led the development of AI-driven intelligence solutions for law enforcement, public safety, and security agencies. In this role, he also launched METIS Academy to demystify artificial intelligence to public safety decision makers and provide a practical roadmap for responsibly integrating AI into daily operations.
In addition to his work with Crime Stoppers Global Solutions, Dr. Lestrange is also a founding Research Fellow at the Future Policing Institute’s Center on Policing and Artificial Intelligence (COP-AI), and a member of the Corporation Counsel for the National Police Athletic / Activities League.
To prepare future leaders, Dr. Lestrange is also a Course Developer and Adjunct Professor in Criminal Justice Management, Leadership Studies, and Organizational Assessment and Design for Tiffin University’s doctoral programs in Criminal Justice, and Global Leadership and Change Management; and an Adjunct Professor at Indiana Institute of Technology’s, College of Business and Continuing Professional Studies and School of Business for undergraduate and MBA courses in Strategy, Criminal Justice, Sustainability, Homeland Security, and Emergency Management. He has supervised doctoral-level research in the areas of Police Recruitment & Retention, Adaptive Leadership, and Leading Multi-generational workforces.
Passionate about the continued advancement of policing, he is a contributing author to Lexipol: Police 1; authored a nationally recognized blueprint titled – The Way Forward: A Bedrock (25-Point) Plan for Public Safety, Community Investment, and Criminal Justice Reform for a NYC Mayoral candidate following the Murder of George Floyd, COVID pandemic and January 6th riots at the U.S. Capitol, and will soon release a non-fiction book titled – The Next Watch: Four Guiding Leadership Principles for the Future of Policing.
Prior to the private sector, Dr. Lestrange served for over three decades as a commissioned federal law enforcement officer in multiple international, national, regional, and local leadership roles. In his last year of government service, he was appointed as Senior Agency Official to the U.S. Council on Transnational Organized Crime – Strategic Division, created by the President of the United States via Executive Order to develop “whole of government” solutions to complex public safety and national security challenges.
He also served as the HSI senior agency official to the DHS Joint Requirements Council, where he collaborated across the DHS Security and Law Enforcement portfolio to create Department-wide strategy, capability, and acquisition governance, validate operational requirements, identify mission and technology gaps, and advocate for high-level investments to strengthen DHS efforts.
He retired from federal service in June 2022 as the Chief of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Headquarters Public Safety & National Security Division. In this role, he provided executive oversight for strategic and resource planning; led multiple law enforcement intelligence, interdiction, and investigation units; trained federal task forces; oversaw four multi-agency intelligence operations centers; and directed complex case coordination initiatives across the globe.
