About our authors
Kenneth J. Peak is Professor Emeritus and former chairman of the Department of Criminal Justice, University of Nevada, Reno, where he was named “Teacher of the Year” by the university's Honor Society (and served a stint as Director of Police Services). After serving for several years as a municipal police officer in Kansas, Ken subsequently held positions as a nine-county criminal justice planner for southeast Kansas, Director of a four-state Technical Assistance Institute for the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, Director of University Police at Pittsburg State University, and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Wichita State University.
He has authored or coauthored 30 textbooks and two historical books (on Kansas bootlegging and temperance). His other books include Policing America: Methods, Issues, Challenges, 9th Edition; Community Policing and Problem Solving: Strategies and Practices, 7th Edition (with R.W. Glensor); Police Supervision and Management, 3rd Edition (with L.K. Gaines and R.W. Glensor); and Women in Law Enforcement Careers (with V.B. Lord). He also has published more than 60 monographs, journal articles and invited chapters on a variety of policing topics.
Ken has held several national and regional criminal justice offices and continues to be very active in academia. He holds a doctorate from the University of Kansas and received two gubernatorial appointments to statewide criminal justice committees while residing in Kansas.
Andrew L. Giacomazzi is Associate Dean in the School of Public Service and Professor of Criminal Justice at Boise State University. Prior to assuming that role, Andy was the chair of the Department of Criminal Justice after serving a six-year term as the department's MA Coordinator. He worked extensively with the Western Regional Institute of Community Oriented Public Safety to conduct assessments of police departments and sheriff's offices in the western United States. He also worked at the Spokane Police Department in leadership development.
Andy received his bachelor's degrees in Social Ecology and German from UC Irvine, and his master's and PhD (Criminal Justice and Political Science, respectively) from Washington State University. He is coauthor of Community Policing in a Community Era: An Introduction and Exploration and is coeditor of a book entitled Controversial Issues in Policing. He has more than 65 other publications, including refereed journal articles, book chapters and technical reports. His research interests include community policing, organizational change, family violence and juvenile intervention programs. Andy teaches courses in policing, criminal justice policy and research methods.
He is currently National Executive Counselor for Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, and Chapter Advisor for Alpha Phi Sigma. In May 2015, Andy was named Faculty Member of the Year by the Residential Housing Association at Boise State, and in 2016 won Boise State's Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching. Andy lives on the Boise State University campus, serving in the capacity of Faculty Member in Residence in the Leadership & Engagement Living-Learning Community.
