Adult Degree Program

James Madison University

BIS 200C - Executive Summary

Executive Summary

     My personal experiences and training have provided me with a unique understanding of governmental processes
in general, and judicial activities and law enforcement in particular.  My experience and training can be broken
down into different categories: government service, law enforcement (including judicial matters) and policy 
development.  However, in many instances, these activities have overlapped.

     My government service includes serving in the military, working in excess of twenty years as a police 
officer, serving as an advisor for the U.S. Department of Education, serving on the Governor's Task Force 
on Substance Abuse and Sexual Assault, and being appointed to the Virginia Criminal Justice Services Board.

     Lobbying experiences included work for the Virginia Movers/Warehouse Association before the State 
Corporation Commission.  It also included efforts before the state legislature for the Fraternal Order of 
Police, the Virginia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, and the Virginia Crime Prevention 
Association.  I also represented these groups with the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, the 
Council of Higher Education, and the ABC Board.

     Part of the functions of such groups as the Governor's Task Force on Substance Abuse and Sexual Assault
and the Criminal Justice Services Board was to set policy and recommend legislation.

     In twenty years as a police officer, I have become very experienced in applying laws and dealing with 
courts.  The Constitutional Law class taught by the FBI has served as a valuable base for my understanding, 
but it has been extended by my experience with state and federal grand juries, prosecutors, and courts, such 
as the "Operation Equinox" drug case.

     Counter views on government were taught as part of the bomb school and the Secret Service training that 
I received.  One has to understand terrorist motivation to be able to prevent terrorist attacks on dignitaries.  

     Finally, the job as Chief of Police has furthered my understanding of the effects of public opinion and 
interest groups on the government and its agencies.  It has required close working relations with local 
government, ranging from cooperative police agreements to joint disaster planning.  It has also highlighted 
the importance of different views and attitudes contributed by culturally diverse working groups.

     Based on my prior learning experiences, I have been able to develop a good understanding of government 
processes at the local, state, and national level.
 

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