Bill Blackwood LEMIT
Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas
LEMIT Research
Current Projects
The Research & Development Unit is currently involved in a number of research projects, ranging in size and scope, concerning a variety of issues relevant to police in Texas. The purpose of this page is to summarize these projects.
- Newly Licensed Peace Officer Job Task Analysis
- First-Line Supervisors Project
- Work Perceptions among a Longitudinal Sample of Police Leaders in the United States
- Regional De-escalation Training Center at LEMIT
- Body-Worn Camera Utilization and Policies in Texas
- Texas Commission on Jail Standards
- Police Chiefs' Perspectives on Officer Physical Fitness and Policy Changes
- Using Social Network Analysis to Enhance Criminal Investigations and Reduce Violent Crime
- Project Safe Neighborhoods
- Stress among a Sample of Police Leaders in the United States
Newly Licensed Peace Officer Job Task Analysis
Project Staff:
Dr. William Wells, LEMIT Research Director, Sam Houston State University
Dr. John M. Ray, LEMIT Executive Director, Sam Houston State University
Dr. Javier Ramos, Assistant Professor, Sam Houston State University
Dr. Huda Masood, Assistant Professor, Sam Houston State University
Kayla Alaniz, Doctoral Research Assistant, LEMIT, Sam Houston State University
LEMIT is collaborating with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) to conduct a job task analysis (JTA). The JTA will focus on newly licenses peace officers to understand the tasks they are being asked to perform, the criticality of those tasks, and the pieces of equipment they commonly use. The purpose of the JTA is to provide TCOLE with information they can use when revising the basic peace officer course content.
Project Status:
October 2024 - current
First-Line Supervisors Project
Project Staff:
Dr. John M. Ray, LEMIT Executive Director, Sam Houston State University
Dr. Dennis Hippert, Associate Director, Southern Police Institute, University of Louisville
Dr. Jason Ingram, Professor and Department Chair, Sam Houston State University
Dr. William Wells, LEMIT Research Director, Sam Houston State University
Dr. Bradley Campbell, Associate Professor, University of Louisville
Kayla Alaniz, Doctoral Research Assistant, LEMIT, Sam Houston State University
LEMIT is collaborating with the Southern Police Institute (SPI) at the University of Louisville to 1) gain a better understanding of promotion practices for first-line supervisors and 2) identify key traits, skills, and competencies that are considered most important for effective first-line supervision. The project will gather promotional policies and procedures from municipal police departments in Texas and across the United States and will gather survey data from police leaders. The findings from this project can be used to enhance or supplement current first-line supervision training programs.
Project Status:
Summer 2024 - current
Work Perceptions among a Longitudinal Sample of Police Leaders in the United States
Project Staff:
Dr. Joseph Schafer, Professor, Arizona State University
Dr. William King, Professor, Boise State University
Dr. William Wells, LEMIT Research Director, Sam Houston State University
Kayla Alaniz, Doctoral Research Assistant, LEMIT, Sam Houston State University
The purpose of this project is to understand multiple components of police leaders' stress and to assess relationships between stress and coping, support, and organizational commitment. A unique sample of FBI National Academy participants from multiple cohorts completed surveys while attending the National Academy. Findings will provide new insights into multiple aspects of stress and relationships to other aspects of work.
Project Status:
Spring 2020 – current
Regional De-escalation Training Center at LEMIT
Project Staff:
Garreth Tiefenbach, Director
Nyssa Varner, Administrative Associate
Dr. William Wells, PI, LEMIT Research Director, Sam Houston State University
With generous grant funding from the United States Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COS Office), LEMIT established a regional de-escalation training center. The center was funded in late 2022 and started delivering COPS-approved de-escalation training in spring 2023. The purpose is to offer training at no-cost so agencies with limited training budges will have access to high-quality de-escalation training. All training delivered under this grant has been reviewed and approved by the COPS Office to ensure consistency and quality. Emerging research from multiple cities shows de-escalation training has positive affects on officers' perceptions and on some behaviors.
2023 Annual Report
Summary of De-escalation Research
Project Status:
Fall 2022 – current
Body-Worn Camera Utilization and Policies in Texas
Project Staff:
Dr. Alexis Rockwell, Assistant Professor, University of South Alabama
Dr. Jason Ingram, Professor, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Sam Houston State University
Dr. William Wells, LEMIT Research Director, Sam Houston State University
Dr. Rita Watkins, Retired LEMIT Executive Director, Sam Houston State University
LEMIT collected data from a large sample of police agencies in Texas to understand aspects of body-worn camera (BWC) deployment and associated policies. The purpose was to estimate the proportion of agencies that deploy BWCs and to understand key policy elements. Survey data were collected in November 2020 from 733 agencies. The second phase of the study will describe, in greater detail, agency policies that govern BWC use in Texas.
Project Status:
Completed
Report and Appendices
Texas Commission on Jail Standards
Project Staff:
Mr. Doug Dretke, Executive Director, Correctional Management Institute of Texas, Sam Houston State University
Dr. Erin Orrick, Research Director, Correctional Management Institute of Texas, Sam Houston State University
Dr. Yan Zhang, Professor, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Sam Houston State University
Dr. William Wells, LEMIT Research Director, Sam Houston State University
The SHSU research team is collaborating with leaders in the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCSJ) and other relevant stakeholders to develop a tool that identifies jails at varying levels of need for inspections. The purpose is to develop a tool that will help direct the work of TCJS inspectors and improve efficiencies. The team will begin building databases in summer 2022.
Project Status:
Complete
Police Chiefs' Perspectives on Officer Physical Fitness and Policy Changes
Project Staff:
Dr. Matthew Wagner, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Sam Houston State University
Mr. Michael Harper, Fitness Wellness Unit, Texas Department of Public Safety
Dr. William Wells, LEMIT Research Director, Sam Houston State University
Dr. Alexis Rockwell, Assistant Professor, University of South Alabama
LEMIT collected data from a sample of over 400 police chiefs in Texas in spring 2021 to understand their attitudes and perceptions about police officers’ physical fitness and physical fitness policies. The results provide evidence police professionals can use to collect more detailed information in their local setting and information decision makers can use when considering policy reforms.
Report and Appendices
Project Status:
Complete
Using Social Network Analysis to Enhance Criminal Investigations and Reduce Violent Crime
Project Staff:
Dr. Yan Zhang, Professor, Sam Houston State University
Dr. William Wells, LEMIT Research Director, Sam Houston State University
Dr. Yan Zhang is leading research to assist the Houston Police Department with their Strategies for Policing Innovation project to reduce violent crime. The innovative HPD project utilizes social network analysis to enhance criminal investigations in order to reduce violent crime. The evaluation study will measure the results of the HPD initiative and provide feedback HPD leaders can use to enhance their work.
Project Status:
Complete
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Project Staff:
Dr. Yan Zhang, Principal Investigator, Associate Professor, Sam Houston State University
Dr. Jason Ingram, Co-Principal Investigator, Associate Professor, Sam Houston State University
Dr. William Wells, LEMIT Research Director, Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State faculty are collaborating with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. Faculty are providing research assistance to support the Attorney’s Office direct work to reduce violent crime in Houston communities. The research findings will provide information multiple criminal justice system agencies can use to direct their interventions and shape their work to fight violent crime.
Project Status:
October 2019 – current
Stress among a Sample of Police Leaders in the United States
Project Staff:
Dr. Joseph Schafer, Professor, St. Louis University
Dr. William King, Professor, Boise State University
Dr. William Wells, LEMIT Research Director, Sam Houston State University
The purpose of this project is to understand multiple components of police leaders’ stress and to assess relationships between stress and coping, support, and organizational commitment. A unique sample of FBI National Academy participants completed surveys while attending the National Academy. Findings will provide new insights into multiple aspects of stress and relationships to other aspects of work.
Project Status:
Spring 2020 – current
