Criminal Justice Instructor Hopes Students Remember Respect

In his nearly 30 years in law enforcement, William Walsh says he’s learned people are pretty much the same whatever their background.

Born in Milwaukee, William began his journey as a Criminal Justice instructor at Blackhawk by spending time in the Marine Corps. In addition to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Marian University, he also holds a master’s degree in Leadership & Adult Continuing Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a degree in Biblical Studies from Midwest Bible College.

During his time teaching and instructing within the Milwaukee Police Department, he was part of a team of officers and supervisors who trained over 1,500 cadets.

“It was a truly eye-opening time for me and during those years I gained a hunger for learning, teaching, and leading,” he said.

William, who has been at Blackhawk since 2019, says serving his country as well as his community drew him to the public safety arena and it was a natural fit, “like love to the human soul,” he said.

Over the last number of years, he has seen the industry of policing in a diverse society change with the understanding that the public has little patience for bad policing.

The pandemic also pushed William to re-educate himself on how it affected everybody. It made him more empathetic to his students and colleagues.

“Due dates on assignments hold very little weight, if any, as their instructor, so long as the product is complete and within the time I need to turn in grades,” he said.

His one hope is as students move on to rewarding careers, they always remember people everywhere are equally deserving of respect as any one of their most cherished loved ones.

William also wants to remind people that law enforcement officers are human, too.

“Those that chose to work in this field are in the same breath called heroic lifesavers and before that breath has fully cleared societal lungs, they are horrific life takers,” he said.

William’s life outside of work involves family, close friends and his personal relationship with his faith. He also enjoys writing novels, creating board games and traveling to faraway places such as Israel and Syria.

National Police Week is observed from May 15-21. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.