Expert Qualifications
I have testified as an expert in the disciplines of police practices and to the principles of private and proprietary security. During the course of my career, I have investigated over 1,000 felony and misdemeanor offenses of Homicide, Rape, Kidnapping, and Assaults and made constitutionally valid arrests. As an Expert Witness, I have analyzed over 500 charges of police misconduct in the area of Police Practices & Procedures, and charges of negligent security in the area of Private and Proprietary Security. In approximately 60% of all cases, I have been retained by plaintiff attorneys, and in 40% of cases by defense attorneys. I have testified both for and against police officers pertaining to allegations of police misconduct.
My general sworn law enforcement experience includes 25 years with a major municipal police department where I served in every capacity from sworn Uniformed Patrol Officer to Command-level Supervisor, and two years as District Attorney’s Director of Special Services as a sworn Alabama State Police Officer. As a sworn police officer, I served on protection teams for two United States Presidents during their multiple respective visits to Birmingham, Alabama. During my assignment to the Chief of Police Administrative Staff, I coordinated police protective services for politicians and other dignitaries on a number of occasions over a three-year period.
My command-level experience includes that of Captain of Detectives where I supervised the daily activities of 120-130 investigators, including the Homicide, Robbery, Burglary, Auto Theft, and Juvenile divisions. As a Patrol Precinct Commander, I supervised the daily activities of 130-140 police officers and mid-level supervisory Officers in each of two police precincts.
In my capacity as a State Police Officer with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, I designed and performed the initial public research project to determine the need for a White Collar Financial Crimes Unit, and wrote the organization’s Daily Operations Procedures. I screened/hired the clerical and investigative staff. I directly supervised the division’s daily operations including supervision of investigative staff, purchasing, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, case/trial preparation, case filing system, courtroom litigation, computer system design, and marketing.
Pertaining to Adult and Juvenile Detention Facility, as an expert witness, I have analyzed the operations procedures, officer deployment, budget, and allegations of correction officer misconduct.
During my career as a police officer, I was responsible for knowing and regularly applying the law in daily situations so as not to violate the constitutional rights of those I served. I did this by studying police procedures at a certified police academy, by taking Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, multiple Criminal Justice courses in college, by studying applicable Criminal Codes, by reviewing lower court, appellate court, and Supreme Court decisions, by making constitutionally valid arrests, and by acceptance of testimony in criminal and civil court cases.
Since I retired as a police officer, I have maintained my knowledge of constitutional principles through continuing education, through graduate coursework in pursuing my master and doctoral degrees, through my association with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), through my membership and regular studies of International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Training Keys and Model Policies, through regular reading of peer reviewed articles written for the National Sheriffs Association (NSA), through regular reading of Lexis-Nexis publications, through review of VerdictSearch archives, and through my work as a police practices expert.
My experience in the field of private and proprietary security includes ownership and chief operations executive of Security Training Institute, Inc. This multi-state, subchapter-S corporate educational facility operated in the states of Alabama and Louisiana, with approval from each state and the US Department of Education. STI specialized in the training and certification of private and proprietary security guards and security management. The certification course consisted of 315 hours of operations and firearms training. We trained for virtually every industry including but not limited to Hotels, Manufacturing, Banking, Private Security, Retail Food Service, Retail Department Stores, Public Police Officers, Public Utilities, Shopping Malls, Public School Systems, and Major Universities. STI was the second largest security training company in the United States.
My education consists of an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Sociology; a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology; a Master’s Degree in Public and Private Management (MPA/MBA), and a PhD Degree in Criminal Justice.
I have completed specialty training from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the US Secret Service, the US Marshall’s Service, the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Alcohol-Tobacco & Firearms Division, the New York City Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Boston Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, sometimes called the Texas Ranger Police Academy.
My teaching experience includes that of Certified Police Academy Instructor, guest lecturer in the field of Criminal Justice at major universities, and Adjunct College Professor in the field of Criminal Justice. As an Adjunct College Professor, I taught full courses in Homicide Investigation, Criminal Law, Fundamentals of Investigation, and Fundamentals of Criminal Justice. As a certified Police Academy Master Instructor, I was qualified to teach the entire police curriculum including, but not limited to, patrol operations, investigative services, self-defense, firearms, pursuit driving, secondary less-than-lethal weapons, and basic/intermediate supervision.
My experience as a Police Academy Instructor includes (1) sitting on the original committee appointed by the Governor of Alabama to formulate minimum standards of training for all Alabama police officers and (2) participating as a provider in the pilot project in the State of Louisiana to determine the minimum training standards for private and proprietary security officers. During my entire law enforcement career, I regularly taught Homicide Investigation and Fundamentals of Supervision at the Birmingham Police Academy. The courses were taught
to rookie police officers, to newly promoted detectives, and to newly promoted basic and intermediate supervisors at the Sergeant and Lieutenant ranks.
My education and experience in forensic examinations includes college level coursework in evidence collection and analysis, extensive training and certification in crime-scene evidence collection and analysis, and field experience in forensic collection and analysis. I am an active member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. That organization requires both education and experience in forensic science for membership. By proctored examination, I am a Certified Forensics Consultant and a Certified Level III Forensics Medical Investigator. I currently hold Board Certification Diplomat/Fellow status by the American Board of Forensic Examiners. My continuing education credits include multiple forensic and psychology courses at the doctoral level.
In the field of psychology, I am qualified as a Criminal Profiler and have some 640 classroom hours of formal psychology education, (16 courses/48 semester hours). Most recently, in 2012, I was invited as a presenter before the American Psychological Association lecturing on the topic of “Police-Involved Domestic Violence: Cause and Effect.” In 2013, I was contracted to write the Employee-Involved Domestic Violence policy for a major municipal police department. In 2014, I assisted in the writing of a revised Use-of-Force policy for a major Sheriff’s Department.
William T. Gaut, PhD