Dr. William King was elected as an Executive Counselor for the Division of Policing at the American Society of Criminology, increasing the visibility of the College of Criminal Justice on the national stage.
Dr. King, Associate Dean for Research and Program Development, will serve on the six-member Executive Board for the Division, which is charged with advancing theory, knowledge, and practice in policing through research and evaluation. Created in 2014, the division’s mission is to build partnerships and facilitate dialogue among scholars, practitioners, policy makers, community leaders, and students of policing on important issues including the role of policing in maintaining order, protecting civil liberties, and enhancing public safety.
“The Division helps to advance research and scholarship in the field,” said Dr. King. “The Executive Board works on the policies for the division and on panels for the annual conference.”
Dr. King also serves on the National Law Enforcement Policy Center for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which develops and updates recommendations for model policies and procedures for law enforcement agencies. Since 1987, the board has produced more than 125 white papers on key issues in criminal justice, most recently on the use of body worn cameras.
Dr. King joined Sam Houston State University in 2009, where he specializes in quantitative and comparative studies of police organizational structures, the process of criminal investigations, and forensics systems from an organizational and theoretical perspective. Among this most recent research were a National Institute of Justice-funded study on sexual assault investigations in the Houston Police Department; a study on the National Integrated Information Ballistics Network which led to policy changes in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; a study on an anti-crime initiative in Trinidad and Tobago; a study on civilian policing; and ongoing surveys of Texas Police Chiefs.
His work has appeared in Police Quarterly, Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, Crime & Delinquency, Criminology and Public Policy, Forensic Science Policy & Management, Journal of Forensic Identification, and the Journal of Criminal Justice.
The American Society of Criminology is one of two major national organizational for scholarship in the fields of criminal justice and criminology. During its November annual meeting in New Orleans, 21 graduate students from Sam Houston State University showcased their work to members through sessions and posters.
