Alex del Carmen

Alex del Carmen
Born
Alejandro del Carmen
OccupationCriminologist
Academic background
Alma materFlorida State University (Ph.D.) Harvard University (Ed.M.)
Academic work
DisciplineCriminology; criminal justice
Sub-disciplinePolice practices; racial profiling; civil rights oversight
Notable works''Racial Profiling in America'' (2008); ''Racial Profiling in Policing: Beyond the Basics'' (2023)
Websitehttps://delcarmenconsulting.com/

Alejandro del Carmen is a Nicaraguan and American criminologist and academic. He was a professor at Tarleton State University and director of its Institute for Predictive Analytics in Criminal Justice (IPAC), before retiring in 2026.[1] Del Carmen is an authority on race and crime with expertise on police practices and racial profiling.[2][3] He has trained thousands of police officers and police chiefs, and is a regular instructor at the FBI in Quantico.[4]

Early life and Education

Del Carmen is a first-generation immigrant from Jinotepe, Nicaragua, where as a child he lived through political unrest and civil war.[5] These early experiences inspired del Carmen to pursue criminology and develop an understanding of the psychology of people who enact violence against others.[5] In 1997, del Carmen received a Ph.D. in Criminology from the College of Criminology at the Florida State University.[6] In 2025, del Carmen earned a Master's in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.[7][8]

Field Work

Del Carmen has trained thousands of police officers including all the Texas Police Chiefs since 2001.[9] He is also responsible for creating the Texas racial profiling statistical template widely used by law enforcement agencies throughout the state.[10]

In 2021, del Carmen co‑chaired an expert review panel that examined police practices for the City Council and Office of Police Oversight Monitor in Fort Worth, Texas.[11] He previously served as a Federal Monitor for the United States Federal Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.[12] Del Carmen presently serves as Special Master for the United States Federal Court, District of Puerto Rico, which has operated under a federal consent decree since an investigation in 2011 found discriminatory police practice against racial minorities.[13] Del Carmen was appointed as a Fulbright Specialist by the United States Department of State, most recently at the Police Academy of the Czech Republic in May 2022.[14][15]

Del Carmen is the founder and CEO of Del Carmen Consulting, LLC. His firm, which was founded in 2001, works with hundreds of law enforcement agencies throughout the country.[6]

Public Commentary

Del Carmen is frequently a criminologist expert guest on media outlets that include: Fox, CNN, Fox News Radio, Telemundo, Univision and NBC.[16][17][18][19] Del Carmen has been asked to contribute his advice on a variety of topics, including violence enacted by police officers and against law enforcement.[20][21] He discussed coverage of racial‑profiling data and misclassification issues affecting Hispanic drivers in the New York Times and ProPublica, and shared insight into police pursuit decision making in CBS News the vulnerability of teachers as targets to scam calls.[13][22]

Del Carmen has commented on consent degrees and their use in police reform efforts throughout the United States.[23][24] Specifically, he has suggested that the federal government offer clear directives to establish standards related to use of force within police departments.[25]

Academic career

Del Carmen joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Arlington, where he chaired the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.[5] In 2014, del Carmen moved to Tarleton State University, serving as professor and associate dean, and in 2020, he became the director of the Institute for Predictive Analytics in Criminal Justice (IPAC).[26]

In 2020, del Carmen led a team to conduct the first comprehensive analysis of racial-profiling data in Texas through the Texas A&M University System.[27][28] This data was collected from nearly 2,000 agencies under the Sandra Bland Act, and findings have been cited in Texas news coverage about traffic‑stop disparities and police pursuits.[29][30] Del Carmen worked with additional university faculty to gain approval from the Texas Higher Education Board for Tarleton's first PhD program, and in 2024, was named a Regents Professor by The Texas A&M System Board of Regents for exemplary performance.[31][32]

Del Carmen has taught at the FBI National Academy in Quantico as a guest instructor on police practices and civil liability.[29]

Select Publications

Books

  • ''Racial Profiling in America'' (Prentice Hall, 2008)[33]
  • ''Racial Profiling in Policing: Beyond the Basics'' (2nd ed., Kendall Hunt, 2023)[34]

Articles

  • Del Carmen, A., Bowling, B. (2024). A Precarious Balance: Enforcing the Law While Protecting Civil Rights. Police Chief.[35]
  • Tao, J., Chism, K., Luo, F., del Carmen, A., Bowling, B. (2025). Catalysts of generative AI adoption in policing: The primacy of transformational leadership and organizational capacity. Policing: An International Journal of Policing Strategies and Management.[36]
  • Luo, F., Chism, K., Tao, J., Gibson, C., Bowling, B., & Del Carmen, A. (2025). The journey from college to law enforcement: crossing the threshold into a policing career. Criminal Justice Review.[37][38]

Honors

In 2021, del Carmen received the Gary W. Sykes award, one of the highest honors given by the Institute of Law Enforcement Administration.[31][39] In 2024, del Carmen was named a Regents Professor by The Texas A&M University System.[40] He has been selected as a fellow in the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo.[41]

References

  1. ^ "New racial profiling data analysis finds Black people, Hispanics more likely to be cited, searched by Texas police". wfaa.com. July 3, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  2. ^ "ILEA 2021 Ethical Courage Award and Gary W. Sykes Award Recipients". The Center for American and International Law. January 30, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  3. ^ "Immigration agents have become Donald Trump's personal posse". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  4. ^ jhorton (October 18, 2021). "Tarleton's del Carmen Guest Instructor at FBI Academy". The Flash Today Erath County. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Behind the Brilliance". UTArlington - The University of Texas at Arlington Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "constitutionalpolicingunit-biography". www.dallaspolice.net. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  7. ^ "Dr. Alex del Carmen Named Fellow in HACU Leadership Academy | Tarleton News". www.tarleton.edu. September 25, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  8. ^ Luo, Fei; Chism, Kimberly; Tao, Jie; Gibson, Camille; Bowling, Barry; del Carmen, Alejandro (September 24, 2025). "The Journey from College to Law Enforcement: Crossing the Threshold into a Policing Career". Criminal Justice Review 07340168251380204. doi:10.1177/07340168251380204. ISSN 0734-0168.
  9. ^ "Police Training Services". Del Carmen Consulting. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  10. ^ "Police praised in profiling review". The Elgin Courier. April 9, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  11. ^ "Police Review Panel". www.fortworthtexas.gov. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  12. ^ Connelly, Christopher (November 13, 2019). "Fort Worth Names Outside Panel To Audit Police Department Policies". KERA News. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "For a Notorious Police Department, This Killing Was the Last Straw (Published 2023)". May 30, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  14. ^ Specialist, Fulbright (March 24, 2023). "A Q&A with Alex del Carmen – Hosted by Police Academy of the Czech Republic". Fulbright Specialist Program. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  15. ^ "Criminology — Making An Impact". Fulbright Specialist Program. January 24, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  16. ^ Kath • •, Ryan (January 21, 2025). "Reasonable use of force? Video shows Lawrence police captain's controversial takedown". NBC Boston. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  17. ^ "CFW Police Department Independent Review Panel" (PDF).
  18. ^ Allgood, Joe (September 12, 2025). "'Time is of the essence': An expert criminologist gives input on manhunt for Charlie Kirk's killer". www.alaskasnewssource.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Healy, Heather (August 7, 2025). "Think before you post: The hidden dangers of your child's back-to-school photos". 25 News KXXV and KRHD. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  20. ^ Anglin, Dionne (July 8, 2025). "Alvarado ICE facility an 'easy target' for ambush, criminologist says". FOX 4. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  21. ^ Curtis, Genevieve (January 1, 2025). "Criminologist shares concerns about more attacks following New Orleans and Vegas: 'Think the unthinkable'". FOX 13 News. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  22. ^ "A look inside police pursuit decisions with a criminologist - CBS Texas". www.cbsnews.com. February 1, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  23. ^ "How federal consent decrees have been used in police reform across the US". AP News. May 21, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  24. ^ "Police in New Jersey's Capital Violate Residents' Rights, U.S. Finds". November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  25. ^ "AP Investigation: In hundreds of deadly police encounters, officers broke multiple safety guidelines". AP News. May 14, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  26. ^ keegan (December 21, 2020). "Tarleton Names Del Carmen Director of Criminal Justice Institute | Tarleton News". Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  27. ^ brian (July 2, 2024). "Tarleton State's IPAC Issues Annual Racial Profiling Data Analysis Report | Tarleton News". Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  28. ^ Dexheimer, Eric (July 9, 2020). "For first time, independent experts to analyze racial profiling data from 2,000 Texas police agencies". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  29. ^ a b keegan (October 18, 2021). "Tarleton's del Carmen Guest Instructor at FBI Academy | Tarleton News". Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  30. ^ McCullough, Jolie (July 28, 2022). "Texas troopers are causing car chase fatalities and racially profiling drivers under Abbott's border crackdown, complaint claims". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  31. ^ a b jhorton (December 3, 2021). "Tarleton's Dr. Alex Del Carmen Honored for Professional, Civic Service". The Flash Today Erath County. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  32. ^ "COLFA award faculty for contributions to success". Texan News Service. March 18, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  33. ^ Carmen, Alejandro del (2008). Racial Profiling in America. Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-114694-5.
  34. ^ keegan (June 5, 2020). "Tarleton professor's latest book discusses racial profiling | Tarleton News". Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  35. ^ "A Precarious Balance". www.policechiefmagazine.org. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  36. ^ "Policing: An International Journal". Emerald Insight. October 2, 2025. doi:10.1108/PIJPSM-04-2025-0071.
  37. ^ jhorton (September 16, 2025). "Tarleton State's IPAC Scholars Published in Criminology Academic Journals". The Flash Today Erath County. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  38. ^ Luo, Fei; Chism, Kimberly; Tao, Jie; Gibson, Camille; Bowling, Barry; del Carmen, Alejandro (September 24, 2025). "The Journey from College to Law Enforcement: Crossing the Threshold into a Policing Career". Criminal Justice Review 07340168251380204. doi:10.1177/07340168251380204. ISSN 0734-0168.
  39. ^ keegan (December 3, 2021). "Tarleton's Dr. Alex Del Carmen Honored for Professional, Civic Service | Tarleton News". Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  40. ^ "Dr. Alex del Carmen Named Texas A&M System Regents Professor | Tarleton News". November 14, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  41. ^ "Dr. Alex del Carmen Named Fellow in HACU Leadership Academy | Tarleton News". September 25, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.