ODESSA, Texas — The University of Texas Permian Basin held its 3rd annual Criminal Justice Advisory Council meeting on March 27.
During the meeting, the council discussed the issues and problems different criminal justice agencies face and how the university can assist and bring change.
“A lot of the police officers are struggling with report writing when they first come out of the academy, so we’re introducing them earlier," said Dr. John Fisher, an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at UTPB. "There’s issues on the border, there’s issues with property theft and there’s just crime issues all related with the price of oil.”
Recruitment, retention and lower-experience officers are other active problems.
Understanding the issues at hand can help find potential solutions, along with improving education practices for students who are preparing to work in law enforcement.
“It’s important that you get a degree," said Fisher. "Research shows that law enforcement officers who have a degree have fewer use-of-force complaints, and they have fewer complaints in general, because of the education they receive while in college."
Several politicians were present, including Rep. August Pfluger, Sen. Ted Cruz and State Rep. Brooks Landgraf.
Representatives from the Attorney General's Office, regional police and sheriff's offices, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and more were also in attendance.
“The sheriffs are here," said Fisher. "The chiefs of police, the wardens of prison systems, probation, parole. We have people from the Governor’s Office. We have people from the Attorney General’s Office. [We] all come in here and we talk about the issues that are facing criminal justice in Texas.”
Fisher said that a degree will also better allow advancement within the law enforcement industry.
The university also discussed its criminal justice program and how it has implemented previous suggestions for change into its curriculum.
UTPB offers several programs related to criminal justice, and more information about them can be found on their website at utpb.edu.