University of San Francisco
College of Professional Studies, Room 220
281 Masonic Avenue, San Francisco
CA, 94118
(415)422-2884
Anthony D Ribera, Ph.D., Director

In September of 1997 The College of Professional Studies initiated an undergraduate program in Law Enforcement Leadership. This Program has attracted law enforcement professionals from throughout Northern California. Since its inception, over 125 working professionals have received their Bachelor’s Degree from USF. Forty-three of these individuals have received scholarships funded by our annual Law Enforcement Leadership Symposium.

USF is now making the Law Enforcement Leadership Program directly available to Bay Area law enforcement personnel and their agencies. In 2008, a cohort of San Francisco police officers started the program at the SFPD academy. Similar programs are being planned for Marin and Alameda counties.

To broaden our service to the criminal justice community, the International Institute of Criminal Justice Leadership was established in April 2001. The Institute formalized and expanded the law enforcement leadership training that the University had been involved in for over 50 years. The broader mission of the Institute is to facilitate training and research for leaders in the various disciplines of the criminal justice system, and to focus on the ethical leadership strategies.

The Institute currently co-sponsors an annual symposium on “Visionary Management in Law Enforcement” with the San Francisco Police Department. USF hosts the event on our San Francisco campus. The next symposium, scheduled for March 23 and 24, 2009, will be our thirteenth annual event. In the past we have had many distinguished speakers including Father Edward Malloy, the President of the University of Notre Dame; Chief Bill Bratton of the LAPD; Chief Bill Lansdowne of the San Diego PD; Chief Heather Fong of the SFPD; Chief Rob Davis of the San Jose PD; Sheriff Laurie Smith of the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office; and Sheriff Mike Hennessey of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, AG Jerry Brown; as well as numerous other federal and state officials.

In 2008, the Institute hosted its largest symposium, with 150 registered guests. The topic was the complexity of 21st Century Law Enforcement Leadership, Ethics, Policies and Politics. The Institute also co-hosted a conference on Human Trafficking with the United States Attorney Joseph Russoniello, and the San Francisco Police Department. In June 2006 the Institute hosted a panel of inquiry on Police Ethics in the San Francisco Police Department. The recommendations were well received, and the media coverage was favorable. We have also collaborated on community outreach programs in San Francisco’s African-American community, and with Red Flags Help, a non-profit that trains educators in identifying teenage depression.

The Institute has the benefit of an advisory board made up of distinguished leaders from the law enforcement community. The Institute is expanding its programs and participation to other agencies in the criminal justice system, and to a more international audience.

In January 2005, USF’s President, Stephen Privett, SJ, designated the Institute for an Endowed Chair. The designation gives the Institute the ability to raise outside funding to ensure a permanent status in the university community.

Copyright © 2001 The International Institute of Criminal Justice Leadership University of San Francisco