Criminal Justice

RON GRIMMINGRon Grimming has an extensive, and impressive, 33-year background in law enforcement. His career in law enforcement began in 1970 as a Special Agent with the Illinois State Police. He served in various investigative assignments including: special task forces targeting criminal activities associated with subversive groups, political and police corruption, illegal drugs, and financial crimes. He was promoted numerous times during his career, and attained the rank of Deputy Director of the Illinois State Police, supervising more than 2,500 officers assigned to the investigative and patrol divisions of the department. In 1993 Grimming was appointed Director of the Florida Highway Patrol, where he managed the activities of 1,740 sworn officers and 528 civilian personnel. Grimming focused the patrol's mission on highway safety through traffic enforcement, accident investigation, prevention of highway violence, interdiction of illegal contraband, investigation of auto-theft, and the development of public safety education programs. Through Grimming's leadership, the Florida Highway Patrol received the recognition of being nationally accredited, after having its policies and operational procedures scrutinized by a panel of nationally recognized law enforcement experts. Also under Grimming's guidance, the patrol won the prestigious National Chief's Challenge, designating it as having the best traffic safety program in the nation. During his law enforcement career, Grimming has served as General Chairman of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), State and Provincial Police Division, which represents the nation's state police and highway patrol organizations on the IACP Board of Directors. Grimming also served as Chairman of the IACP Organized Crime Committee, and President of the State Law Enforcement Chief's Association. Grimming has an extensive law enforcement training background having served on Florida's Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission. He currently serves as Director of Miami-Dade College's School of Justice, which has responsibility for college criminal justice degree programs, as well as law enforcement, corrections, and security officer training for Miami-Dade County criminal justice agencies. DEBBIE GOODMANDebbie J. Goodman, M.S., is the Chairperson of the School of Justice at Miami-Dade College. She holds a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Florida International University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from Florida State University. Ms. Goodman specializes in a wide range of Criminal Justice topics, including: report writing, ethics, communications, human behavior, juvenile justice, criminology, criminal justice, and leadership. She is the author of three national publications: Report It In Writing, Enforcing Ethics, and FloridaCrime and Justice. She is the originator and series editor of Prentice Hall's PACTS: Police And Corrections Training Series. Debbie J. Goodman is an adjunct faculty member in the College of Public Affairs at Florida International University and was honored in 2002 and 2005 by Who's Who Among America's Teachers as one of the nation's most talented college instructors. She is committed to providing quality education and training to police and corrections officers, as well as criminal justice students and practitioners. She resides in South Florida with her husband and son.