Eric Watters, PhD, received bachelor's and master's of public administration degrees from Barry University, a Master of Science in Justice Administration with a specialization in homeland security and then earned his PhD in Leadership with a specialization in criminal justice from the University of the Cumberlands. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Administrative Officers Course at the University of Louisville’s Southern Police Institute.
An assistant professor in the criminal justice program, Watters currently teaches ethics, research methods, criminal investigations, counterterrorism, white-collar crime, crisis intervention, comparative criminal justice and introduction to criminal justice. His research interests are multidisciplinary in nature and lie in the areas of leadership style preference and selection in criminal justice professionals, human resource practices in justice administration, and the impact of generational differences on law enforcement agency cultures.
Before coming to Colorado Mesa University, Watters proudly served in the United States Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and then worked for the Miramar (FL) Police Department for 20 years.
He began his career as a communications officer and worked his way up the ranks, eventually retiring as the executive commander. Watters’ experience ranged from crime scene processing and traffic homicide investigations to law enforcement accreditation and emergency management. He was also the department’s project manager for the design and construction of its state-of-the-art 80,000 square foot LEED Gold certified headquarters facility; a four-year project costing $28 million. The last 10 years of his law enforcement career were spent at the management level where he led all the administrative functions of a department that served 140,000 full-time residents with a $50 million annual budget. Watters was also an adjunct professor of public administration for 10 years.
Connect with Watters on LinkedIn or find more information on his webpage.