Jim Zimmer Legislative Scholarship

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To honor the legendary late Jim Zimmer, a titan of legislative advocacy for the investigative and security professions, we have created the Jim Zimmer Legislative Scholarship. This award is designed to help preserve his legacy and the tradition of representing our professions on Capitol Hill. Jim was a staunch supporter of NCISS and made extra effort to not only ensure the PI and security professions had strong representation when it comes to legislation, but to also make advocacy approachable to the less experienced. This scholarship will ensure finances are not a barrier to participating in legislative advocacy to those who wish to become involved in the support of NCISS at our annual Hit the Hill event.

Applicants must be an NCISS member, in good standing, who have never attended Hit the Hill, and cannot be an NCISS Board member.

Each applicant must submit a one-page essay on why they are interested in legislative advocacy, the importance of preserving our professions, and outline the need and use for the scholarship.

The application should have a clear dollar amount asked for the scholarship to cover expenses related to legislative advocacy not already covered by NCISS. Hotel stay for 3 nights will be reimbursed to the award recipient. Other expenses covered are limited to travel costs such as airfare, vehicle expenses such as gas mileage or charging, and Hit the Hill registration fees. There will be no guarantee the full amount requested will be awarded as it depends on resources available in the scholarship account. Amount awarded will be capped at $1,000 per selected application.

This essay must be submitted one month prior to Hit the Hill for consideration.

Applicant essays for the scholarship will be reviewed and the recipient will be selected by the Legislative Committee and President, and awarded as a reimbursement after Hit the Hill. Any person awarded the scholarship who becomes unable to attend Hit the Hill due to unforeseen circumstances will not receive the reimbursements requested.

Please submit applications to info@nciss.org.

Jim Zimmer Legislative Scholarship Recipient

Congratulations to the recipient of the Jim Zimmer Legislative Scholarship, Raheem Williams!

Raheem is a current senior studying Security Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

He attended the 2026 NCISS Hit the Hill Event and shared his experience below:
Being part of this year's annual Hit the Hill (HTH) with NCISS was a formative experience for me and I can confidently say that I’ve left with an insight into private investigations that’s unparalleled. From the first moment I arrived the atmosphere was inviting, as senior investigators from all ends of the country provided an unending amount of insight on their numerous investigative practices and the policies that affected them. I was able to speak with experts in a plethora of professions ranging from surveillance, forensic accounting and even drone piloting– this experience opened my eyes to just how versatile the P.I world can be and solidified my desire to find my place in it. Aside from this, Hit the Hill was an amazing “behind the curtains” look at the process of legislative advocacy that NCISS stands for every year. I learned about the nuances in how impactful legislation is on not only the investigative profession but also the general community– this intersection of privacy and information is something that P.I’s thrive in and it was interesting to see just how deeply it interwove with how the public would also be affected. I was initially intimidated by the idea of going along and meeting congressmen but by the end of the first day our preparation had completely eased me as I went into capitol hill with a deeper sense of legislative understanding and confidence. Along the way senior investigators offered me advice and resources to help build professional skills such as public speaking and networking, expressing care in my growth as an investigator and welcoming me with open arms. My experience at this year's HTH has left a lasting effect on me and my development toward my future in this career. I'm thankful for the opportunity and I’ll continue to make the best of what I’ve learned going forward.

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