SHSU Students Provide “Security” to Hospitalized Children

Security Studies

Graduates of the Security Studies program joined ASIS to provide teddy bears to children in Houston area hospitals..

Community Service

Security Studies graduates distributed teddy bears to children with cancer in Houston hospitals.

Graduates from the Department of Security Studies recently returned to assist with “Teddy Bears for Tots,” an ASIS-Houston Chapter initiative to purchase and distribute 1,000 stuffed animals to children in major hospitals throughout the Houston region.

College Welcomes Four New Faculty in Fall

Faculty

Four new faculty will join the College this fall in Forensic Science and Criminal Justice and Criminology..

Four new faculty members will join the College of Criminal Justice this fall, adding expertise in corrections, victim studies, and forensic science.

SHSU Study Tests Success of Hot Spot Deployments

Research

Dr. Larry Hoover and colleagues investigate success factors for hot spot policing.

Hot spot policing is most successful in reducing street crimes in small area with the highest crime rates through long-term concentrated patrols, according to researchers at Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice.

TDCJ Scholarship Winners Plan Future with State Agency

Scholarships

Two TDCJ supervisors hope to climb the ladder at the state agency with a scholarship from the College of Criminal Justice.

Misty Dowdell eventually would like to become a Warden or Director with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), while Adrienne Bailey hopes to improve her leadership skills, promote at the State Counsel for Offenders, and explore different areas of the agency.

Ph.D. Grads Spread Influence in Thailand

International

Ph.D. Graduates from CJ are among the top leaders in the Thai Royal Police.

The College of Criminal Justice has an international reputation in law enforcement and perhaps nowhere is it more influential than in Thailand.

Doctoral Student/Faculty Earn Awards from Graduate Studies

Graduate Awards

Dr. Jeanne Subjack received a dissertation award and Dr. Cortney Franklin was named best faculty mentor by SHSU Graduate Studies.

A Ph.D. graduate and a faculty member from the College of Criminal Justice were recognized for an outstanding dissertation and faculty mentorship, respectively, by the Office of Graduate Studies at Sam Houston State University.

Alumnus Helps Build School District Police Force

Alumnus

Bill Avera retired as a police chief to help build a police force at the Dallas County Independent School District.

After serving as a police officer in Jacksonville and Police Chief in Brownfield and Cockrell Hill, Alumnus Bill Avera “retired” to help start a police department for the Dallas Independent School District (DISD).

Putting Out Potential Fires in Huntsville

Community Engagement

Homeland Security students organized a Home Fire Safety Campaign, installing smoke detectors in low-income homes in Huntsville.

More than 100 smoke detectors were installed to protect families in low-income neighborhoods in Huntsville thanks to a volunteer effort by Bearkats coordinated by graduate students in the Master of Homeland Security program.

Lessons Learned from Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits

Criminal justice agencies need to be prepared to follow up on sexual assault cases with a victim-centered approach to improve responses to these crimes in their communities, according to research findings from Sam Houston State University.

Organizing and Assisting Criminal Cases for Trial

As a Criminal Investigator with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Alumnus Paul B. Smithers’ job is to organize and assist prosecutors with cases set for trial. The criminal investigator is a support staff member for the assigned prosecutor.

Measuring Homeland Security Risks

Researchers have validated a new risk assessment tool that can be used by the Department of Homeland Security to help evaluate decisions and priorities in natural disasters, terrorist events, and major accidents.