"The measure of a Life is its Service."
The Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice will recognize service and leadership, as well as honor those who have fallen in the line of duty, at three events on April 23.
Student leaders, the recipient of the 2009 Outstanding Alumnus Award, and the Defensor Pacem Medal will be publicly recognized during the Leadership Luncheon, which will be held in the Criminal Justice Center Flag Room at 11 a.m.
The Defensor Pacem Medal, presented each year to an individual or organization that has provided invaluable assistance to the criminal justice field, will be given to Timothy N. Oettmeier.
Oettmeier recently began his 36th year as a member of the Houston Police Department where he currently serves as Executive Assistant Chief of Police.
He has worked in a variety of significant assignments during his career with HPD, including serving as the chief of staff for the Field Operations Command, the director of training, the city’s inspector general, the administrator over Internal Affairs, and the acting chief of police.
Oettmeier received his doctorate in criminal justice from SHSU in 1982 and has received numerous awards and recognition since then.
He has authored evaluative reports, and articles for textbooks, magazines, and journals on police management issues and continues to be a principal consultant in police management projects throughout the country.
“Dr. Oettmeier is an asset not only to the Houston Police Department, but law enforcement statewide, nationally, and internationally. Sam Houston State University is proud to be able to honor him in this way,” said professor of criminal justice Larry Hoover.
The recipient of the 2009 Outstanding Alumnus Award is Nancy Rodriguez of Phoenix, Arizona.
Rodriguez is an associate professor in the school of criminology and criminal justice at Arizona State University. Her research interests include sentencing policies, juvenile court processes, and substance abuse. She also conducts research in the area of restorative justice.
Rodriguez’ research has included program evaluations of drug courts, restorative justice programs, and “three strikes” laws. Rodriguez has received several grants from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
She is the co-author of “Just Cause or Just Because? Prosecution and Plea-bargaining Resulting in Prison Sentences on Low-level Drug Charges in California and Arizona” and co-editor of “Images of Crime: Readings.” Her recent work has appeared in “Crime Delinquency,” “Justice Quarterly,” and “Criminology Public Policy.”
Rodriguez received her Bachelor of Science degree in law enforcement and police science from SHSU in 1992. She completed her doctorate in political science from Washington State University in 1998.
“Dr. Rodriguez has a rare combination of scholarly, professional and personal acumen. I know her to be an outstanding researcher and a good human being,” said associate professor of criminal justice Todd Armstrong.
“We here in the College of Criminal Justice can be very proud of the manner in which Dr. Rodriguez represents us to both the field of criminology and criminal justice, and to the larger community,” he said.
Following the Leadership Luncheon, the traditional Sundial Ceremony will take place at the south entrance to the Criminal Justice Center at 1:30 p.m.
The ceremony will commemorate criminal justice alumni and other law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The ceremony is open to the public.
The final event of the day will take place when the College of Criminal Justice will recognize their most academically-gifted students at the Honors Convocation at 7:00 p.m. in Killinger Auditorium.
Criminal justice professor Jerry Dowling will be the guest speaker, at which time more than 70 scholarships will be presented and 130 honor students will be recognized.
Dowling joined the faculty of the College of Criminal Justice in 1972 after serving as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Los Angeles.
He has taught a wide variety of law enforcement and legal courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
In 2001, Dowling was honored with the SHSU Excellence in Teaching award, a reflection of his dedication to classroom teaching.
The public is invited to attend.
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SHSU Media Contacts: Raegan Castillo
April 16, 2009
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Monday, May 3
Tuesday, May 4
"The measure of a Life is its Service."