Research & Training Centers

Below is a list of centers and institutions that work with the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology.

Geospatial Intelligence and Investigation

The Texas State University Center for Geospatial Intelligence and Investigation (GII) studies how to improve our response to crime problems and homeland security threats, both foreign and domestic. Our research uses geospatial and other forms of tactical information to develop information management models. GII provides specialized training for law enforcement, intelligence, and military agencies. Operational assistance for government agencies is also available in certain situations.

Employing a cross-disciplinary and multiagency approach, GII seeks to help law enforcement and intelligence agencies build more powerful investigative and analytic tools. Computer modeling based on human behavioral theories help extract knowledge from information and data, assisting police and intelligence agencies in connecting the dots in environments of information overload and uncertain threat. The ongoing development and implementation of geographic profiling for violent and property crime, and terrorism and insurgency problems, is one example of the Center's work.

The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT)

The ALERRT™ Center at Texas State University:

The ALERRT Mission: To provide the best research-based active shooter response training in the nation.  The ALERRT Vision: Training and research that saves lives and protects communities.

 

From the 1966 Tower shooting at the University of Texas, to the coordinated terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India in 2008, to the Sandy Hook school shootings in 2012, and the Paris tragedies in 2015, the most important lesson learned is to be prepared. While we hope that such active shooter events will never happen in our backyards, the ALERRT staff at Texas State has developed a new, research-based standard in active shooter response.  Law enforcement professionals across the nation are carrying this standard forward.  

 

The ALERRT Center is the only national training program whose primary mission is responding to the active shooter threat. While much of the training is delivered on-site in communities around the country, ALERRT also has a multimillion-dollar training facility in San Marcos for advanced active shooter response training.  In March of 2013, the FBI announced that ALERRT is the national standard in active shooter response training. Since that time, more than 200 FBI instructors have been certified to teach ALERRT courses, and these instructors now teach ALERRT classes in partnership with ALERRT trainers across the country. 

 

Since 2002, The ALERRT Center at Texas State University has delivered vital active shooter response training to more than 80,000 law enforcement professionals across the nation, through more than $40 million in federal and state funding.  Due to a dramatic increase in funding, ALERRT anticipates delivering training to an additional 30,000 police officers in the next 18 months.
 

ALERRT training has been delivered to officers in 48 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Virginia, Wisconsin and South Carolina were among the first states to train and adopt the ALERRT curriculum as their state standard in active shooter response. Many states are moving forward with this as their standard response and many large cities (New York City, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and San Antonio) are training all of their officers in ALERRT protocol.  ALERRT has also been delivered and adopted in parts of  Canada, Australia, and Brazil.

 

ALERRTs research team members are recognized as national experts on active shooter events.  They recently authored “A Study of Active Shooter Events from 2000-2013” with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  This report is the government’s official data on active shooter events.  The research team has additionally engaged in a number of studies to validate specific response techniques.  Some of these have already been published, and others are working their way through the peer review process. 

ALERRT also works with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) on initiatives such as Preventing Violence Against Law Enforcement Officer Resilience and Survivability Initiative (VALOR) to stem the violence directed against the officers themselves. ALERRT has also developed the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) train the trainer class, through which law enforcement officers are trained to teach tactics for survivability to the community. This program not only delivers vital information to the citizens, but serves as a positive forum for law enforcement to engage with the community. 

 

For interviews or other  specific media  information, contact Diana Hendricks, Director of Communications, ALERRT at Texas State University – hendricks@alerrt.org; or call 512.245.4779 or 512.618.3373.

Texas Justice Court Training Center

The mission of the Texas Justice Court Training Center is to provide quality education opportunities for justices of the peace, constables and court personnel, ensuring the credibility of, and confidence in, the justice courts enabling them to better serve the people of the State of Texas.

Every year, TJCTC provides over 500 hours of live education reaching 2200 judges, constables, and court personnel. The Training Center offers additional supplemental education through 20 webinars and another 120 hours of training through workshops. During legislative years, TJCTC provides a comprehensive overview of the legislation affecting justice courts, including a legislative resource book and eight additional training events. TJCTC provides 80 hours of required new judge training annually.

With a full-time staff well versed in this jurisdiction, it allows for a quick response to important issues that affect all Texans.