Study Explores Honor Crimes in the U.S.

Most so-called honor crimes in the U.S. occurred during the process of separation or because the victim had become too westernized, according to new research.

Asian Policing Conference Returns to Huntsville

This summer, the College of Criminal Justice hosted the 16th Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Police Studies (AAPS), an international organization that advances scientific, practical, and professional knowledge concerning policing and crime control.

Elevating the Law Enforcement Profession

James Senegal wants to help elevate the profession of law enforcement from police chiefs to front line officer.

Senegal, a former Captain at the Magnolia Police Department, recently joined the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) as the Director of Professional Development. He hopes to extend the prestigious professional development programs offered to top leaders in law enforcement to patrol personnel.

“I want to give back to law enforcement and to help elevate the profession,” said Senegal. “Law enforcement is a profession, like doctors and lawyers, and I want to develop more leadership programs to target the line officers.”

Senegal has been in law enforcement for 13 years. Before serving as second in command at the Magnolia Police Department, he was a Police Officer and SWAT Team Leader for the Hempstead Police Department and a Police Sergeant for the North Forest Independent School District. Senegal is active in many professional associations, including the Texas Police Chiefs Association, Texas Municipal Police Association, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and East Central Texas Police Chiefs Association.

Senegal also serves as a Board Member for the OneStar Foundation and a Commissioner for the OneStar National Service Commission, both of which are appointments from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, which builds a stronger nonprofit sector for better communities through programs like AmeriCorps. He also serves as an instructor for Below 100 Intensive, an initiative designed to reduce death and injuries suffered by law enforcement officers in the line of duty through training and awareness.

LEMIT currently offers several programs that promote personal and professional development among law enforcement officers. There include:

• The Post Critical Incident Seminar for officers who need assistance following traumatic incidents, such as police shootings, accidents, or suicides
• The LIFE program for female officers interested in advancing in the law enforcement field
• Public Information Officer for officers involved in disseminating information to the media on a day-to-day basis or during crisis situations
• Incident Command Simulation Training for High Consequence Events for officers to learn the national incident command model for disaster response and management
• Larry T. Hoover Distinguished Lecture Series, which invites prominent criminal justice scholars to discuss research with practical applications in the field
• Forensic Statement Analysis for officers and investigators to learn how to detect deception and hidden information in a person’s written or oral statements
• The Definitive Field Training Officer and Program Administrators Course for officers and supervisors to provide a more effective training experience for new officers
• Crimes Against the Elder for officers to learn how to investigate cases of elder abuse, such as neglect, physical abuse, financial exploration, and emotional abuse
• Crossing the Yellow Line – Serial Killer for officers to learn techniques and tools for investigating complex cases
• New Supervisor Course for officers to be successful in their first supervisory position

Developing Future Law Enforcement Leaders

From the moment Dara Glotzbach walked into an emergency management course at the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas in 2005, she knew she had to work there.

In 2008, Glotzbach was hired to assist the Leadership Command College (LCC), the flagship program at the institute, and she has never had a bad day over the last eight years. Recently, she was promoted to Director of the Leadership Development Unit, which oversees LCC as well as programs for Constables, Command Staff, and First Line Supervisors.

“I admire law enforcement,” said Glotzbach. “There is something in law enforcement that makes them want to be servants and to do for others. They rush in when others are rushing out. Anything that LEMIT can do to help them, that’s what we’re here for.”

The Leadership programs are designed to assist law enforcement executives with leadership skills for 21st Century policing. The programs create well-rounded individuals who are confident in their leadership abilities and are exposed to a wide variety of experiences in the profession.

“It is my honor and privilege to serve the Texas law enforcement community,” Glotzbach said. “I am proud to represent LEMIT on a local, national, and international level.”

Glotzbach has 35 years of experience in training and development positions, with an emphasis in security management emergency response and risk management. Before joining LEMIT, she helped incorporate the Texas Medical Center campus into local, state and federal emergency preparedness plans and led a team of eight that coordinate patient movements at health care facilities during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She also served as a compliance specialist at Dynegy; a senior training consultant at Tenneco; and as a training consultant for Houston Lighting and Power.

Glotzbach found a home at LEMIT, where she continues to strive for the institute’s mission of professionalism, excellence, and care and concern for law enforcement in Texas. “We want to help them do their jobs more successfully,” said Glotzbach.

Among the programs in the Leadership Development Unit are:

Leadership Command College

The LCC provides law enforcement executives with the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully manage a modern law enforcement agency. The nine-week program focuses on leadership and general management; political, legal and social environments of law enforcement; and law enforcement administration. The program consists of instructional modules, selected reading assignments, and a comprehensive Leadership White Paper (LWP).

Texas Constable Programs

LEMIT offers three programs for Constables, including a primer for those newly elected to the post, a continuing education program every four years, and the Texas Constables Leadership College. The initial course curriculum includes the roles and duties of a Constable, citations, evictions, liabilities, office management, writs, and protective orders. The continuing education program covers emotional survival, ethics/leadership, writs, citations, collections, and the detection of deception. The Leadership College, which is voluntary, is modeled after the LCC and includes such topics as practical psychology for policing; internal affairs; leadership and ethics; intergovernmental relations; officer-involved shootings; incident command; cultural diversity and team building; legal liability and civil rights issues; professionalism and belonging; today’s etiquette; suicide terrorism; human resource management; and communications.

New Supervisors

The program is designed for individuals who are newly assigned to their first supervisory position. It includes such topics as role identification, transition, leadership style, planning/organization, cultural diversity, counseling, liability, special investigators issues, community, civil rights, racial sensitivity, values, ethics, and principles.