Understanding and Preventing Community Violence : Global Criminological and Sociological Perspectives

This book examines the contemporary rise in community violence across the United States and globally from sociological and criminological perspectives. It comprehensively investigates police response to criminal incidents, engagements with criminal suspects, use of force by law enforcement, and crime control measures implemented or recommended to initiate effective crime control measures so that the unwanted rise of violence and serious crime can again be contained. 

The primary audience for the book will be upper level undergraduate and graduate level students, criminal justice and law enforcement practitioners, government policy makers, community advocates, and researchers in sociology, criminology, homeland security, criminal justice, public administration, and political science.

James F. Albrecht is a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security at Pace University in New York City. Jimmy received a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship in 1998 and worked as a Professor at the National Police College of Finland.  He is also the recipient of a 2013 Embassy Policy Specialist Fellowship (USDOS/IREX) and was tasked with conducting research and making recommendations to improve law enforcement effectiveness and legitimacy in Ukraine.  Police Chief Albrecht served in the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) in Kosovo (former Yugoslavia) as the Head of the EULEX Police Executive Department, in charge of criminal investigations and coordinating international law enforcement cooperation and intelligence analysis from 2008 through 2010.  He had previously served in the United Nations Mission in Kosovo Police from 2007 to 2008. Jimmy is also a 23-year veteran of the NYPD who retired as the Commanding Officer of NYPD Transit Bureau District 20, tasked with the prevention of crime and terrorism in the subway and commuter transit system in New York City. He was a first responder and incident command staff manager at the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and developed the counter-terrorism strategic plan for the subway system in the borough of Queens, New York City.

Dr. Garth den Heyer is a Professor with the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University in Phoenix. He served with the New Zealand Police for 38 years, retiring as an Inspector and Manager: National Security. He also spent more than 20 months as a strategic advisor to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. His main research interests are policing, militarization, counterterrorism, service delivery efficacy, policy development, strategic thinking, and organizational reform.