Samuel Walker (police accountability expert) facts for kids

Samuel Emlen Walker, born on December 19, 1942, is an American expert. He helps people understand important topics like civil liberties (your basic rights), how police work, and the criminal justice system. He is especially good at explaining how police can be held responsible for their actions.

Early Life and Education

Samuel Walker was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He grew up in a town called Shaker Heights, Ohio. His father worked as an executive for a railroad company.

College Years

In December 1964, Samuel Walker earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). He studied American Culture at the University of Michigan. While there, he wrote movie reviews for the student newspaper, The Michigan Daily.

Later, he continued his studies:

• In 1970, he earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) in American history from the University of Nebraska Omaha.
• In 1973, he received his highest degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), in American history from Ohio State University. His PhD paper was about a person named Terence V. Powderly.

Samuel Walker's Career

Samuel Walker has had an interesting career helping others and teaching.

Working for Civil Rights

In the spring of 1964, a famous civil rights leader named Robert "Bob" Moses visited the University of Michigan. He was looking for students like Samuel Walker to join the Mississippi Freedom Summer project. This project aimed to help African Americans in Mississippi register to vote.

After training and raising money for bail (just in case they were arrested), Samuel Walker volunteered for six weeks in the summer of 1964. He went door-to-door, encouraging African American citizens to sign up to vote. This effort was important because it showed how hard it was for Black people to vote back then. It also helped them organize peacefully against unfair treatment.

After finishing college, Walker went back to Mississippi in January 1965. He continued working on the Mississippi Freedom Project until August 1966. He was based in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Teaching About Justice

Samuel Walker also spent many years as a teacher.

• From 1969 to 1970, he was a teaching assistant at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO).
• From 1970 to 1973, he taught at Ohio State University.
• In August 1974, he became a professor of criminal justice at UNO. He became a full professor in 1984.
• He was also a special professor, holding titles like Kiewit Professor and Isaacson Professor.
• In 2005, he retired as a professor. However, he still works as a consultant, sharing his knowledge.

Walker started by focusing on how police and communities could work together. This grew into looking at how citizens could watch over the police. Eventually, he became an expert in making sure police are held responsible for their actions. This is called police accountability.

Expert in Civil Liberties

Samuel Walker is a well-known expert on civil liberties.

• In 2000, he helped write a report for the United States Department of Justice. This report, published in 2004, was about "Early Intervention Systems" for police. These systems help police departments identify and help officers who might be having problems.
• In 2013, he spoke in New York City as an expert. He argued against a police policy called "stop and frisk." This policy allowed police to stop and search people without much reason.
• From 2015 to 2016, he advised the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canada. He helped them develop their own Early Intervention System for their police force.

Walker also created the Police Accountability Resource Guide. This is an online guide with links and information for teachers and people who organize community efforts.

Memberships and Groups

Samuel Walker has been part of many important groups:

• 1964: He was a spokesperson for the Ann Arbor Friends of SNCC.
• 2001-2004: He was a panel member for the National Academy of Sciences. They studied "Fairness and Effectiveness in Policing."
• 2015-present: He is an advisory committee member for the American Law Institute (ALI). They work on "Principles of Law: Police Investigations."
• 2015-2016: He was a consultant for the National Academy of Sciences on a "Project of Proactive Policing."

Awards and Honors

Samuel Walker has received several awards for his work:

• 2012: He won the Langum Prize for his book Presidents and Civil Liberties From Wilson to Obama. This award is for books about American legal history.
• 2018: He received the Academic Freedom Award from the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska (AFCON).
• 2018: He earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Criminology (ASC) Division of Policing.