This session uses real-world examples and insights from social theory to explore why negative outcomes can occur in police work and operations. It examines what officers, supervisors, and organizational leaders can do to reduce these risks and improve decision-making. The focus is on strengthening tactical performance and building more effective, adaptive policing practices across agencies.

By the end of this session, students will:
1. Develop new perspectives on the inherent challenges of police work.
2. Gain a deeper understanding of how social theory shapes and interacts with the environments in which they operate.
3. Build a practical vocabulary to both enhance tactical performance and thoughtfully respond to criticism of policing practices.

Key Takeaways:
Preventing negative outcomes requires ongoing vigilance, adaptability, and resilience.
Proven strategies from other professions can inform and improve policing practices.
Applying social theory to policing can help foster organizational cultures where professionalism and excellence thrive.

Sandy Wall is a retired Master Peace Officer and a 28-year veteran of the Houston Police Department. He has worked in Patrol, Narcotics, and has served 22 years on the HPD SWAT Detail. He served as a Team Leader for more than 12 years.

After his police career, he was Safariland Group Director of Training for 15 years.

He co-authored, "Training the SWAT Trainer," (Thomas publishing) and authored "The Long Road Home" and soon to be released, "Inflict Justice."

He is a multi-patent owner and inventor of the WallBanger Tactical System. Owner and CEO of Less Lethal Options, LLC.

He has trained for numerous Agencies all across the country including Canada, Central and South America and Europe. He continues to instruct and provide subject matter expert testimony in civil and criminal cases.

David A. Klinger is Professor Emeritus of Criminology & Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he was on faculty from 1999-2025. He received a B.A. in History from Seattle Pacific University in 1980, a Masters in Justice from American University in 1985, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Washington in 1992. Prior to joining the Criminology and Criminal Justice faculty at UMSL, Professor Klinger was Assistant (1992-1998) and Associate (1998-1999) Professor of Sociology at the University of Houston.

Prior to pursuing his graduate degrees, Professor Klinger worked as a patrol officer for the Los Angeles and Redmond (WA) Police Departments. In 1997 he was the recipient of the American Society of Criminology's inaugural Ruth Cavan Young Scholar Award for outstanding early career contributions to the discipline of criminology. Professor Klinger's research interests include a broad array of issues in the field of crime and justice, with an emphasis on the organization and actions of the modern police. He has published scholarly manuscripts that address arrest practices, the use of force, how features of communities affect the actions of patrol officers, and terrorism. He has conducted three federally-funded research projects dealing with the use of force by police officers; two on officer-involved shootings and one on police special weapons and tactics (SWAT) teams.