Texas School Safety Center

Steve Ramirez, M.S.

Associate Director for Law Enforcement, Homeland Security, and Institutional Research

Mr. Steve Ramirez has over 30 years of combined military and civilian law enforcement experience including five years in the United States Marine Corps Diplomatic Protection/Counter Terrorism Unit. He has served in the capacity of Patrol Officer, Investigator, Patrol Sergeant, Commander, and Chief of Police. Steve also served as the Director of the Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy in San Antonio and as the Regional Criminal Justice Director over law enforcement training, criminal justice planning, homeland security, and youth initiatives. He is certified as a Master Texas Peace Officer, TCLEOSE Certified Law Enforcement Trainer, and TDEM Certified NIMS/ICS Trainer. Mr. Ramirez has taught and presented in the topic areas of: leadership, ethics, community policing and problem solving, policy development, firearms, defensive tactics, reality based training, instructor development, NIMS/ICS, Incident Response to Terrorist/Suicide Bombings, Counter/Anti-Terrorism, and Active Killer Response. Steve holds a Master’s degree in Adult Education and Training and has completed post graduate studies in Adult Education Leadership, Criminal Justice, and Homeland Security. Mr. Ramirez has taught criminal justice/police science at several colleges and universities. He has authored numerous articles in various law enforcement and homeland security journals.

James R. "Rick" Walker, Ph.D.

Institute of Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS) Program Manager

Dr. James R. "Rick" Walker's criminal justice career has spanned over 35 years. He has served in a number of positions that include patrol officer, deputy sheriff, investigator, and later as a sergeant of patrol and investigative units within South Carolina and Texas. During his career with the Houston Police Department, Dr. Walker was involved in development of criminal justice training programs for the department’s juvenile sex crimes investigations unit, and he also served as an instructor for the department's police academy. In addition to his career as a law enforcement officer, Dr. Walker has also served as a professor and course developer for several colleges and universities. Dr. Walker also currently serves as the Executive Director of the Accrediting Commission for Law and justice Education, an organization which is focused on programmatic accreditation of law and justice programs throughout the United States. Dr. Walker received his associates and baccalaureate degrees from the University of South in 1978, his Masters in Criminal Justice Management from Sam Houston State University in 2000, and a Ph.D. in Educational Human Resource Development at Texas A&M University in 2003. Dr. Walker's areas of interest include juvenile justice and campus law enforcement. He has authored several articles for the Campus Law Enforcement Journal.

Ms. Janice Hardaway, J.D.

Institute of Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS) Training Specialist

Janice Hardaway is an attorney licensed by the State Bar of Texas, having received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Arkansas School Of Law and her B.A. Politics from Hendrix College. Ms. Hardaway brings a diverse background to the Texas School Safety Center. While in law school, she served as an editor on the Arkansas Law Review, was President of Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity, worked as a Research Assistant in the area of Constitutional Law, and clerked for the 4th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney. She has reported legislative news for National Public Radio, worked for three years with college students via Residence Life on a college campus, served as a Purchasing Agent for the City of Dallas, and trained volunteers full-time for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Most recently, Ms. Hardaway was a Grant Specialist and Program Coordinator at the Texas Justice Court Training Center, where she planned and executed training across the state for Justices of the Peace, their Constables, and court clerks. She has extensive experience in on and off-site training management, curriculum development, and program coordination.

Samuel Cerda

Adjunct Instructor

Samuel Cerda is a state certified Crime Prevention Specialist and is a TCLEOSE certified instructor. In addition to teaching for the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, Samuel is a visiting instructor or speaker at the University of Houston, Rice University, Houston Community College, Lone Star Colleges, Harris County Sheriff’s Academy, school districts, and medical facilities. As a gang awareness instructor, he holds regular classes for law enforcement, probation officers, and the general public. Samuel is a twenty-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff's Office and has worked in the areas of Detention, Community Oriented Policing, and Crime Prevention.

Gilbert Caboti De La Portilla

Adjunct Instructor

Gilbert De La Portilla obtained his A.S. in Criminal Justice from San Antonio College. He is a Master Police Officer, Crime Prevention Specialist, and TCLEOSE certified instructor. In addition to teaching for the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, Gilbert serves as Director and a consultant for StrykeForce, a business that provides rape aggression defense courses, crime prevention strategies, law enforcement agency assessments, and project development for justice systems. He has thirty-two years of experience in SWAT & Tactical Unit, Crisis Intervention, Crime Prevention, and Community Safety with the San Antonio Police Department.

Lennon Evans

Adjunct Instructor

Lennon Evans is a Certified Crime Prevention Specialist and a TCLEOSE certified instructor. He has coordinated Crime Prevention training for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for over a decade. Lennon specializes in identity theft, Women’s Personal Safety, and Child Safety. As part of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Unit, Lennon has been providing children’s education through the use of robotics since 1988. For sixteen years, he has coordinated the National Night Out event for Harris County Sheriff’s Office, which is the third largest sheriff’s office in the nation. Lennon has worked for Harris County for thirty years, and is currently a deputy with that department.

Stephen "Steve" F. Garst

Adjunct Instructor

Steve Garst is a Master Peace Officer, Certified Crime Prevention Specialist, and a TCLEOSE certified instructor. He has taught courses on CPTED, crime prevention, detecting concealed weapons, courthouse security, and school safety, as well as instructing for the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies. He has also authored published articles in law enforcement journals and magazines. Steve began his law enforcement career at Conroe Police Department. He then joined Conroe I.S.D. Police Department, where he worked with his own district and other districts in formulating district-wide Safe School and Crisis Management Plans and conducting CPTED reviews of campuses around the state. Steve currently serves as Sergeant and Crime Prevention/Community Services Coordinator for the Little Elm Police Department, where he has established curriculum and instructed for the high school’s criminal justice program.

Jeffery P. McGowen

Adjunct Instructor

Jeffery McGowen is a Certified Crime Prevention Specialist and a TCLEOSE certified instructor. He has coordinated the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Child Passenger Safety Program, where he trained representatives from the HCSO and other agencies on how to set up and sustain successful child passenger safety programs. Jeffery was honorably discharged from the United States Army Reserve and is a veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Storm, and was awarded several citations for his service including the National Defense Medal and the Kuwait Liberation Medal. He is an eighteen year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and has worked in various departments, including Detention, Community Oriented Policing, and the Crime Prevention Unit. In 2009, Jeffery was assigned as an investigator in the Internal Affairs Division. He also currently serves as President of the Texas Gulf Coast Crime Prevention Association.

Eric T. Mendez

Adjunct Instructor

Eric Mendez received his A.A. and B.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Phoenix. He also recently completed his Masters of Criminal Justice Administration and Leadership from Sam Houston State University. He is a Master Peace Officer and TCLEOSE certified Instructor. In addition to teaching for the Institute of Criminal Justice studies, Eric has delivered law enforcement-related training at professional conferences, civil groups, and school districts, as well as in-service training and instruction of police cadets at the Capital Area Regional Police Academy in Austin. Eric has been employed as a peace officer for the last twenty-two years. Since 2000, Eric has been on staff at the Austin Independent School District Police Department and most recently holds the position of Captain and Assistant Chief.

David W. Rider

Adjunct Instructor

David Rider earned his B.A. in Psychology from Texas A&M University, and his M.S. in Criminal Justice Management from Sam Houston State University. He is a TCLEOSE certified Instructor. His teaching experience includes in-service training with the Kingsville Police Department and Austin ISD Police Department, the Capital Area Planning Council (CAPCO) Regional Police Training Academy. David has also taught courses for the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies. He has been employed as a peace officer continuously for the last twenty-one years, the last fourteen of which have been dedicated to school based law enforcement. Currently, David is the Chief of Police for the Fort Bend ISD Police Department.

B.J. Hagemeyer

B.J. Hagemeyer graduated from Blinn Jr. College and Wharton Jr. County College Police Academy, and went on to attend the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas Leadership Command College at Sam Houston State University. She implemented the DARE Program and the GREAT Program at the Burleson County Sheriff’s Department, and then moved on to the Katy Independent School District Police Department as a DARE Officer. B.J. also has experience as the Director of School Safety at the Caldwell Independent School District Police Department, where she was responsible for five campuses. Most recently, she accepted a position at the Blinn College Brenham campus. B.J. is a past President of the Texas DARE Officers Association and has been an instructor for the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies in previous years.