Biography
John Reece, PhD, received training at the Colorado Peace Officers Standards and Training Academy and his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Colorado Mesa University (CMU). John Reece, PhD, went on to earn his Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado and his PhD in Public and Business Administration from Northcentral University.
As a Professor of Criminal Justice at Colorado Mesa University, he teaches courses such as Introduction to Criminal Justice, Ethics in Criminal Justice, Police Process, Community Policing, Comparative Criminal Justice, Public Policy Analysis, etc. in both the undergraduate and graduate Criminal Justice programs. His research interests include organizational management, personnel management, public policy, rules of police search and seizure, and effective pedagogy. The purpose and focus of Reece's research is to benefit students, CMU, and the community.
John Reece, PhD, strives to provide students with expanded opportunities to engage in active and service learning and to participate in research. In a pragmatic degree such as criminal justice, Reece, PhD, believes it is important to take learning outside the classroom. He invites a diverse group of guest speakers, representing each component of the criminal justice system, to help engage students in discussions about their careers and job projections/opportunities. Reece, PhD, also facilitates meaningful and effective student internships with a myriad of local and regional agencies. He utilizes a number of innovative teaching techniques and effective pedagogical approaches and embraces distance/online learning formats.
John Reece, PhD, is the former director of the Western Colorado Peace Officers Academy at Colorado Mesa University. He was employed with the Grand Junction Police Department (GJPD) 20 years. During his time at the GJPD, Dr. Reece was a patrol officer, K-9 handler, field training officer, rifle team member, and detective. He was promoted to Police Sergeant and in this capacity was assigned as a patrol supervisor and also served in the Professional Standards Unit, which included training and recruitment and Internal Affairs.