Welcome to Dr. Watters's World

Publications

Watters, E. R. (2023, Fall). Power, group identity, and managing intergroup conflict in public-purpose organizations. Journal of Colorado Policing, 7(1), 18-29.

Watters, E. R. (2023, June). Contextual leadership: An examination of the leadership style preferences of American police supervisors using the Vannsimpco Leadership Survey. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 13(2), 23–36. https://doi.org/10.30845/ijhss.v13n2p3

Watters, E. R. (2021, Fall). Assessing stakeholder power and influence in the law enforcement accreditation process. Journal of Colorado Policing, 6(2), 16-21.

Watters, E. R. (2021, Spring). Factors in employee motivation: Expectancy and equity theories. Journal of Colorado Policing, 6(1), 4-8.

Reece, J.G., Watters, E. R., & Macy, J. (2020, Fall). Police citizen advisory boards in contemporary practice: A practical approach. Journal of Colorado Policing, 5(2), 6-11.

Watters, E. R. (2020, Spring). Dams as potential terror targets in Colorado. Journal of Colorado Policing, 5(1), 19-24.

Watters, E. R. (2019). The applicability of Kouzes and Posner’s Leadership Practices Inventory in measuring the use of transformational leadership practices in law enforcement: A review of the literature. Forensic Science and Crime Research, 1(1), 1-5.

Watters, E. R. (2019, Fall). Higher education requirements for hire or promotion: What is best for local law enforcement? Journal of Colorado Policing, 4(1), 4-9.

Watters, E. R. (2017). Pedagogy or andragogy for law enforcement education and training. ACJS Today, XLII (4), 25–28.

Watters, E. R. (2017, November 9). What I learned about being a good leader by working for a bad boss. PA TIMES Online.

Watters, E. R. (2017). The leadership style preferences of law enforcement supervisors in the United States and variables that may affect leadership style selection among supervisors of various ranks (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from EBSCO Open Dissertation Database. (Accession No. 32953BA8E6A78636)

Watters, E. R. (2013, February 8). Women in combat: How law enforcement gender integration strategies may inform U.S. military leaders. PA TIMES Online.

Education

Ph.D., Leadership
(Criminal Justice specialization)
University of the Cumberlands

MS, Justice Administration
(Homeland Security specialization)
University of the Cumberlands

MPA, Public Administration
Barry University

BPA, Public Administration
Barry University

136^th Administrative Officers Course
Southern Police Institute
University of Louisville

Biography

     Eric Watters, Ph.D., received Bachelor and Master of Public Administration degrees from Barry University, and a Master of Science in Justice Administration (Homeland Security specialization) and Ph.D. in Leadership (Criminal Justice specialization) from the University of the Cumberlands. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Administrative Officers Course at the University of Louisville’s Southern Police Institute.

     Dr. Watters is an assistant professor and the criminal justice program coordinator for the undergraduate and graduate degree programs at Lees-McRae College, in Banner Elk, NC. Dr. Watters teaches criminal justice courses at CMU as an adjunct professor. His research interests are multidisciplinary in nature and lie in the areas of leadership style preference and selection in criminal justice professionals, human resource practices in justice administration, the impact of generational differences on law enforcement agency cultures, and mass shootings in the United States.

     Before beginning his position at Lees-McRae College, Dr. Watters was an assistant professor and the criminal justice program coordinator at Colorado Mesa University, teaching graduate courses in leadership, budgeting, and administration and management, and undergraduate courses in introduction to criminal justice, the police process, ethics, research methods, criminal investigations, counterterrorism, white-collar crime, crisis intervention, comparative criminal justice, and he facilitates interships. Before coming to CMU, Watters proudly served in the United States Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and then worked for the Miramar (FL) Police Department for 20 years. He began his career as a communications officer and worked his way up the ranks, eventually retiring as the executive commander. Watters’s experience ranged from crime scene processing and traffic homicide investigations to law enforcement accreditation and emergency management. He was also the department’s project manager for the design and construction of its state-of-the-art 80,000 square foot LEED Gold certified headquarters facility; a four-year project costing $28 million. The last 10 years of his law enforcement career were spent at the management level where he led all the administrative functions of a department that served 140,000 full-time residents with a $50 million annual budget. Watters was also an adjunct professor of public administration for 10 years.