David A. Klinger is a Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice. 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.
Areas of Specialization Policing Terrorism Use of deadly force
