Eric R. Watters

Education

PhD in Leadership (Criminal Justice), University of the Cumberlands
MS in Justice Administration (Homeland Security), University of the Cumberlands
MPA, Barry University
BPA, Barry University
136th Administrative Officers Course, Southern Police Institute, University of Louisville

Common Courses Taught

CRI 335 Corrections
CRI-502 Advanced Research Methods in Criminal Justice
CRI-520 Leadership in Criminal Justice
CRI-522 Budgeting in Criminal Justice Administration
CRI-526 Human Resource Management in Criminal Justice
CRI-599 Capstone

Scholarly and Professional Achievements

Areas of Teaching Interest: Criminal justice foundational courses, ethics, criminal investigations, crisis intervention, research methods, homeland security, leadership, and justice administration.

Areas of Research Interest: Criminal justice leadership and management; homeland security issues; mass and public mass shootings; serial offenders; perception distortion and issues with eyewitness testimony; the impact of higher education on police performance; and the influence of Citizens Police Academies on public perception of the police.

Dr. Watters has published several articles relating to criminal justice leadership and management, homeland security issues, and law enforcement training.

Institutional Service and Responsibilities

Program Coordinator for the Online and Distance Learning (ODL) BAAS and MS in Criminal Justice degree programs

Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC)

Personal Interests

Dr. Watters joined Lees-McRae College in 2024 to lead the Online and Distance Learning (ODL) Bachelor's and Master's in Criminal Justice programs. Before joining Lees-McRae College, Dr. Watters served as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and coordinator of the undergraduate and graduate programs at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado, for 6 years. Prior to that, he 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. Dr. Watters’s experience ranged from crime scene processing and traffic homicide investigations to law enforcement accreditation and emergency management. He spent the last 10 years of his law enforcement career in middle and senior management, leading all administrative functions for a department that served 140,000 fulltime residents with a $50 million annual budget. During that time, Dr. Watters also served as an adjunct professor of public administration. Before starting his law enforcement service, he proudly served in the United States Army’s 82nd Airborne Division as an Airborne Field Artilleryman, Training NCO, and Armorer.