Ross  Wolf Author of Evaluating Organization Development
FEATURED AUTHOR

Ross Wolf

Associate Provost and Professor
University of Central Florida

Ross Wolf is Associate Provost and Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida, one of the nation's largest public universities. He also has over thirty years of experience as a law enforcement officer, serving as a member of patrol, criminal investigations, and specialized patrol. He has published over sixty articles, books, and book chapters on police administration and management, police use of force, volunteer policing, tourism policing, and international policing.

Biography

Dr. Ross Wolf serves as Associate Provost of UCF Downtown and Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida. He also has over thirty years of experience as a full-time and reserve deputy, and currently serves as Reserve Chief Deputy for the Orange County (Florida) Sheriff's Office.  He has served in patrol, as a Field Training Officer, specialized patrol, and criminal investigations as a detective. Ross was appointed to and serves on the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Police Administration Committee, and on the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) Outreach Committee and Reserve Law Enforcement Subcommittee.  He is a Certified Homeland Protection Professional (CHPP) and Certified Volunteer Policing Leader (CVPL), and in 2017 was named Visiting Fellow by the University of Northampton’s Institute for Public Safety, Crime, and Justice in the United Kingdom. He is also a Fellow of the American Council on Education (2022-23).  He has authored over sixty professional articles, refereed articles, book chapters, and books on police interviewing, police administration and management, reserve and volunteer policing, police use of force, tourism policing, and international policing.  In addition to his work with police agencies throughout the United States, he has worked with the police in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Russia, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Singapore. In addition to other law enforcement awards, he has received the Orange County Sheriff's Office Administrative Excellence Award, Sheriff's Citation, and Distinguished Service Award.  He has been presented with the United States "Daily Point of Light" Award, the National Sheriffs' Association "Medal of Merit" Award, and the US Presidential "Lifetime Call to Service” Award for his work with volunteer and reserve policing.

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

    volunteer policing, police administration and management, tourism policing, and international policing

Books

Featured Title
 Featured Title - Volunteer Police - 1st Edition book cover

Articles

Journal of Applied Security Research

Public-Private Partnerships: Exploring Perceptions and Efficacy of Community Security Patrols


Published: Jun 17, 2022 by Journal of Applied Security Research
Authors: Holmes, S., Wolf, R., and Baker, T.
Subjects: Forensics & Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Public Administration & Public Policy

This paper explores how one large police agency entered into a public-private partnership with a private security firm to supplement police power and presence in two diverse, high-crime neighborhoods. Using a quasi-experimental design, the researchers found road patrol in marked security vehicles produced significant decreases in Part I and II crimes in the pre-and post-implementation periods.

The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles

Applying an outcomes-based categorisation to non-warranted/non-sworn volunteers in United States policing


Published: Mar 18, 2019 by The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles
Authors: Wolf, R and Bryer, T.
Subjects: Forensics & Criminal Justice, Public Administration & Public Policy

The use of volunteers for government service can improve civic engagement, collaboration in governance, and transparency. Policing is no exception, and throughout the United States many police agencies rely on volunteers to serve in various ways, including observational patrols, investigations, administrative support, chaplains, police explorer programs, and search and rescue teams. This manuscript focuses on the varied ways that citizens participate in policing in non-warranted/non-sworn roles.

International Journal of Police Science & Management

A comparative case study of Reserve Deputies in a Florida sheriff’s office and Special Constables in an English police force


Published: Dec 19, 2018 by International Journal of Police Science & Management
Authors: Iain Britton, Ross Wolf, and Matthew Callender
Subjects: Forensics & Criminal Justice, Public Administration & Public Policy

Volunteers operating as ‘sworn’ police personnel with full policing powers are a common feature of policing organizations in many countries, but there is limited research into the experience of serving as a volunteer in such policing roles in either the US or UK settings. This article presents a small-scale, comparative qualitative case study with volunteers from a Reserve Unit in a sheriff’s office in Florida and with volunteer Special Constables from an English police force.

American Journal of Criminal Justice

An Analysis of Factors Affecting the Implementation of Small Municipal Police Agencies: An Open-Systems Approach


Published: Mar 26, 2018 by American Journal of Criminal Justice
Authors: Ross Wolf, Ronnie Korosec, Jeff Goltz
Subjects: Forensics & Criminal Justice

This manuscript reviews the factors that may affect the decision by local government leaders, particularly in small municipalities, when determining whether or not to implement a police department. This paper suggests what geographical, political, and environmental factors may be considered within an open-systems approach in an effort to guide decision makers through the many intricate and subtle issues that affect the level of policing services.

Criminal Justice Policy Review

Volunteer Police: What Predicts Confidence in Training


Published: Dec 31, 2017 by Criminal Justice Policy Review
Authors: Adam Dobrin, Ross Wolf, Ian K. Pepper, Seth W. Fallik
Subjects: Forensics & Criminal Justice

Volunteer police are used in both the United States and the Unite Kingdom to expand the services provided by full-time police personnel. The models of volunteer policing that have developed in the United States and the United Kingdom are based on the same concept, but differ in their level of operational preparedness and training. The utilization and confidence of these volunteer police in performing the functions of the police has been understudied.

Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles

An exploratory international comparison of professional confidence in volunteer policing


Published: Jan 01, 2017 by Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles
Authors: Ross Wolf, Ian Pepper, Adam Dobrin
Subjects: Forensics & Criminal Justice

Police volunteers are an important asset to communities and policing agencies but have been relatively understudied. Similar models of police volunteers have developed in the United States and the United Kingdom but these differ in the level of their preparedness and training. This current study utilises vignettes to examine the confidence of volunteer police officers from two agencies, one in the US and one in the UK.

Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles

Accreditation in police agencies: Does external quality assurance reduce citizen complaints?


Published: Jan 01, 2017 by Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles
Authors: Steven Hougland and Ross Wolf
Subjects: Forensics & Criminal Justice

Accreditation suggests an organization has met standards of quality through extensive self-study and external review. This study examines the influence of Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accreditation on citizen complaints.

Police Practice and Research

Utilization and satisfaction of volunteer law enforcement officers in the office of the American sheriff: An exploratory national study


Published: Jan 01, 2016 by Police Practice and Research
Authors: Ross Wolf, Stephen Holmes, Carol Jones
Subjects: Forensics & Criminal Justice

Many government organizations utilize volunteers to enhance services, and volunteers have been used in law enforcement agencies for a variety of functions.However, volunteers in American policing are a largely under-studied part of the criminal justice system. This current paper examines the utilization of volunteer reserves, auxiliaries, and special deputies in the office of the American sheriff.

Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles

Volunteering to serve: An international comparison of volunteer police officers in a UK North East Police Force and a US Florida Sheriff’s Office


Published: Jan 01, 2015 by Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles
Authors: Ian K. Pepper, Ross Wolf
Subjects: Forensics & Criminal Justice

Volunteers within the police service are an understudied but invaluable area of policing, both in the UK and the USA. Although across England and Wales there are standardised policies governing the recruitment, training and deployment of volunteer police officers, across the United States there is no national standard for their use. As a result, research comparing and contrasting across these national boundaries is of value.

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management

Police use of force and the cumulative force factor


Published: Jan 01, 2008 by Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management
Authors: Ross Wolf, Charlie Mesloh, Mark Henych, and L. Frank Thompson
Subjects: Forensics & Criminal Justice

This paper aims to build on and contribute to earlier studies on use of force by the police, and examines both officer and suspect force levels during altercations.These findings have critical implications for law enforcement by continuing to examine conflicts where police force is utilized, showing the importance of officers to be prepared to use decisive force at the point where verbal techniques and force de-escalation have failed.