Garner Named
To Head LEMIT

Garner replaces Gerald Williams, who took a job with the Institute for Law and Justice in Denver at the end of 1997.

Garner began his police career in 1977, as a patrol officer, and eventually rose through the ranks to become the chief of police for a Houston-area agency. During this time, Garner attended several specialized programs and is an honors graduate from both the Southern Police Institute (SPI) Administrative Graduate Program, and the F.B.I. National Academy.

Additionally, Garner was a licensed polygraph examiner, certified forensic hypnotist, and certified crime prevention Inspector, as well as a defensive tactics and firearms instructor.

Garner began his academic pursuits during his tenure as police chief, earning an associate degree in criminal Justice administration, and bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in psychology from the University of Houston.

Garner left full-time police service to earn his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Houston. Before arriving at Sam Houston State University in 1996, Garner was on faculty at the University of Houston and served as the associate director of the Social Psychology/Behavioral Medicine Research Institute.

Garner has administered grants totaling more than $5 million, including a current $1 million grant from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to establish the Texas Regional Community Policing Institute in the SHSU College of Criminal Justice. That grant is projected to be funded for an additional two years at approximately $1 million per year.

The recipient of numerous police commendations and awards, Garner has been consistently honored for teaching excellence and community service. He continues to teach courses in both criminal justice and psychology at SHSU.

As executive director of the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), Garner will administer the largest and most sophisticated statewide preparation program for police management in the United States. LEMIT was created by the Texas Legislature to develop the administrative, analytical and executive skills of current and future law enforcement officers.

In 1993 the Legislature placed the institute under the administrative control of Sam Houston State University and moved its headquarters to Huntsville. A new home for the institute was approved during the last legislative session. The $2.87 million appropriation will provide for a state-of-the-art instructional facility to be built near the Criminal Justice Center.

Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
April 16, 1998