Professionalism in Policing: An Introduction is the idea book to provide police recruits and criminal justice students with a good understanding of the police officer's role in American society today. This accessible book will give readers insight into the real world of policing by addressing such topics as racial profiling, police brutality, education, police socialization and leadership. Professionalism in Policing: An Introduction also includes the topics of criminal law and ethics, which are fundamental to policing but missing from other books on the topic. Readers will be presented with real-life scenarios where they get to be the decision maker, while learning to understand that the decisions they will make as police officers may have a lasting impact on their lives, as well as on their communities. The author has a strong academic and practical background. In addition to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and at a police academy for 25 years, he also has field experience as a police officer, sheriff, and conservation officer.

Author Biography

David J. Thomas is currently an assistant professor in the College of Professional Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University where he teaches in the Forensic Sciences Behavioral Analysis Program. In addition to his academic duties, Dr. Thomas donates his time to the local police academy, mentoring and training new officers. Dr. Thomas was a police officer in Michigan and in Florida, retiring from the Gainesville Police Department after twenty years of service. During his tenure as an officer, Dr. Thomas has held assignments in Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Detectives, Narcotics, Training, and Community Oriented Police Team, and has served as a Field Training Officer. He has been certified to train both police recruits and in-service officers for the last twenty nine years and is a certified expert in the Florida courts in the use of force. David J. Thomas holds a Masters Degree in Education and a Doctorate Degree in Forensic Psychology. His research interests include Police, Police/Forensic Psychology, Serial Homicide, Victimology, Violence and Terrorism. He is the author of several publications and articles in the area of policing.