E-mail this pageSociology Faculty - Dr. Douglas Perez
Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice
Dr. Perez teaches courses in the criminal justice field and has significant experience also in the sociological theory area. His classroom foci include the study of the police, law and society, the drug war, and introductory level courses.
Dr. Perez was an undergraduate at Berkeley during the tumultuous years of the late 1960s, graduating in 1970. He then spent time as a police officer and correctional officer between 1970 and 1975. Since that time he has taught at the community college, state college, private college, and university levels on a dozen campuses around the nation. Dr. Perez has lived and taught in California, Vermont, Missouri, and New York.
Dr. Perez has taught and coached (in the sports of Olympic rowing and football) for over 20 years. While he has done some important research, he considers himself a classroom teacher first. He notes that, "the process of obtaining an education in most critically focused upon learning oral, written, and critical skills that will last a lifetime. Learning how to analyze arguments, how to weigh information, how to see through perspectives, and so forth is what college is all about."
Dr. Perez is divorced and lives in Essex Junction, Vermont. His daughter Elizabeth is a student at the University of California at Davis, and his daughter Annie is a student at Essex High School. In his spare time, he is active in local politics, lifts weights, coaches football (is the Head Coach of the Vermont Ice Storm, a semi-pro team), and skis.
Education
- Ph.D. in Political Science, University of California at Berkeley, 1978
- M.A. in Political Science, University of California at Davis, 1974
- B.A. in Political Science, University of California at Berkeley, 1970
Teaching Areas
- Police
- Law and society
- The drug war
- Introductory level courses
Recent Publications
- Dr. Perez has published numerous articles and studies on the topics of police accountability, community based policing, urban gangs, and the police subcultural. He is currently working on two books simultaneously. One is a critique of the so called "drug war" and one is a text on police ethics.
- Police Ethics: A Matter of Character (2002)
- Common Sense About Police Review (1994)
- The Paradoxes of Police Work (1997)
- And Justice for All, co-author of a study of police violence commissioned by the United States Attorney General
Awards
- A.K.D. Outstanding Professor Award, 1999-2000, 2003-2004.
Contact Dr. Douglas Perez
Office: Redcay Hall 232
Phone: (518) 564-3306
E-mail: perezdw@plattsburgh.edu