King Appointed To National Law Enforcement Policy Board

Feb. 4, 2014
SHSU Media Contact: Beth Kuhles

William King, associate dean of research and program development in Sam Houston State University’s College of Criminal Justice, was recently appointed to the International Association of Chiefs of Police National Law Enforcement Policy Center Advisory Board.

The board helps develop model policies and procedures for law enforcement agencies.

“I am honored to serve the IACP and the law enforcement community by serving on the policy center’s advisory board,” King said. “This appointment reflects the influence of the College of Criminal Justice in justice issues at the national level, and I am looking forward to contributing to IACP’s mission.”

As an arm of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the 11-member NLEPC board oversees the development and update of model policies for day-to-day operations and administrative procedures in 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 by police officers.

“The intent is to put together model policies and procedures to help provide the best practices in administrative and operational areas,” said Philip Lynn, NLEPC manager. “Each one comes with a research paper that reflects legally sound policy and contemporary and best practices, particularly for medium and small-sized cities. These are not standards, but rather recommendations.”

The board, which includes representatives from police leadership, accrediting agencies and academia from across the country, is expected to examine policy revisions on missing children, patrol dogs, personal appearance and standards of conduct at upcoming sessions. These revisions are generally reviewed if the policies are outdated or if there have been changes to the law.

SHSU’s College of Criminal Justice, one of the oldest and largest criminal justice programs in the country, has been at the forefront of research on issues in the field. As associate dean, King oversees projects on such key issues as eyewitness identification, sexual assault investigations, ballistics evidence, gangs, crime victim issues, toxicology, and DNA studies.

“Dr. King’s contributions to the board are directly aligned with the contributions the College of Criminal Justice at SHSU hopes to make to the field,” said interim dean and director Phillip Lyons. “Good policy and best practice are informed by sound research and Dr. King is very much on top of it.”

The college also conducts research for the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, a premiere professional development program in management and leadership for law enforcement professionals in Texas.

“Having Dr. Bill King appointed to such an important IACP advisory committee, such as the National Law Enforcement Policy Center, is a testament to his expertise on law enforcement related issues,” said LEMIT executive director Rita Watkins. “Dr. King has researched and submitted key results in a manner that is instrumental in helping police agencies in Texas and across this country establish and implement sound policies and procedures. Ongoing research in the law enforcement field helps agencies identify best practices, and Bill King is committed to getting timely research out to the field and in the hands of practitioners who face those issues daily.”

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