Leadership, Ethics and Policing

Edwin Meese III. Edwin Meese III holds the Ronald Reagan Chair in Public Policy at The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based public policy research and education institution. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at The University of London's Institute of United States Studies. Mr. Meese also lectures, writes, and consults throughout the United States on a variety of subjects.

Mr. Meese served as Governor Ronald Reagan's Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff in California from 1969 through 1974 and as Legal Affairs Secretary from 1967 through 1968. Before joining Governor Reagan's staff in 1967, Mr. Meese served as Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County, California. From 1977 to 1981, Mr. Meese was a Professor of Law at the University of San Diego, where he served as Director of the Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Management. During this time he also served as Vice Chairman of California's Organized Crime Control Commission.

Mr. Meese supervised President-elect Ronald Reagan's transition effort following the November 1980 election. During the presidential campaign, he served as Chief of Staff and Senior Issues Advisor for the Reagan-Bush Committee. From January 1981 to February 1985, Mr. Meese held the position of Counselor to the President, the senior position on the White House Staff, where he functioned as the President's chief policy advisor.

Mr. Meese served as the 75th Attorney General of the United States from February 1985 to August 1988. As the Nation's Chief Law Enforcement Officer, he directed the U.S. Department of Justice and led international efforts to combat terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime. As Attorney General and as Counselor, Mr. Meese was a member of the President's Cabinet and the National Security Council. He served as Chairman of the Domestic Policy Council and as Chair of the National Drug Policy Board.

In addition to his background as a lawyer, educator, and public official, Mr. Meese has been a business executive in the aerospace and transportation industry, serving as Vice President for Administration of Rohr Industries, Inc. in Chula Vista, California. He left Rohr to return to the practice of law, engaging in corporate and general legal work in San Diego County.

Mr. Meese is the author of With Reagan: The Inside Story, which was published by Regnery Gateway in June 1992, and is co-editor of Making America Safer, published in 1997 by The Heritage Foundation.

Mr. Meese is a graduate of Yale University and holds a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a retired Colonel in the United States Army Reserve. He is active in numerous civic and educational organizations and currently serves on the boards of the Landmark Legal Foundation, the Capital Research Center, and the National College of District Attorneys, and is the chairman of the governing board of George Mason University in Northern Virginia.

P J. Ortmeier. P J. Ortmeier holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Criminal Justice and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Public Safety Training and Development. He is a U.S. Army veteran, a former police officer, and served as the coordinator of a criminal justice program at a midwestern college for ten years. He has developed and implemented numerous courses and degree programs in law enforcement, corrections, and public safety. As a member of a California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) steering committee, Dr. Ortmeier participated in the creation of a plan to integrate leadership, ethics, and community policing concepts and skill development throughout the entire basic academy for entry-level peace officers.

Currently, Dr. Ortmeier is the Coordinator of the Administration of Justice Program at Grossmont College in El Cajon, California. He also holds teaching positions at California State University, San Marcos, The Union Institute and University, and Webster University in San Diego.

Dr. Ortmeier is the author of Public Safety and Security Administration, Policing the Community: A Guide for Patrol Operations, and Security Management: An Introduction, as well as several articles appearing in journals such as The Police Chief, California Security, Police and Security News, and Security Management. His writing focuses on professional career education, management, leadership, and competency development for public safety personnel.

Dr. Ortmeier is a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the American Society for Law Enforcement Training, the California Association of Administration of Justice Educators, and the American Society for Industrial Security. His current interests include the development of leadership skills and career education pathways for law enforcement and other public safety professionals.