Law Enforcement and Justice Administration

Dean C. Alexander

Professor and Director, Homeland Security Research Program

Stipes Hall 403E
Phone: 309/298-2120
E-mail: DC-Alexander@wiu.edu 

Prof. Alexander is Director, Homeland Security Research Program and Professor, Homeland Security at the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration at Western Illinois University.  Prof. Alexander’s teaching, research, and speaking activities encompass terrorism, security, and legal issues. He has lectured in ten countries, including to law enforcement and military officials at North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), U.S. State Department, and National Intelligence University events. Also, he lectured to the Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center, Oregon Fusion Center, Milwaukee Police Department, Michigan State Police, McAllen Police Department, Yuma Police Department, and the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department, among others.

Prof. Alexander’s professional experience includes executive, business development, and legal positions in the United States and abroad, including Chile, Israel, and the United Kingdom. He worked as a consultant to the World Bank, Organization of American States, homeland security firms, and investment companies. 

Since publishing on terrorism in 1991, Prof. Alexander has written several books on the subject, including: Family Terror Networks (2019), The Islamic State: Combating the Caliphate Without Borders (Lexington, 2015), Business Confronts Terrorism: Risks and Responses (University of Wisconsin Press, 2004), and Terrorism and Business: The Impact of September 11, 2001 (Transnational, 2002). Among some of his books on international business are: NAFTA and the Environment (Kluwer, 1996), NAFTA and Investment (Kluwer, 1995), and Prospects of a U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement (Martinus Nijhoff, 1994).

His numerous peer-reviewed articles on terrorism, security, and legal issues have appeared in Defense Against Terrorism Review, Journal of Money Laundering Control, Journal of Security Strategies, Journal of Applied Security Research, and Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal, among others. Also, he has published articles and op-eds in Police Chief Magazine, HS Today, American Police Beat, Security Magazine, PI Magazine, Intersec, Washington Times, and Journal of Commerce.

Prof. Alexander has been interviewed by domestic and international media, such as the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, Orlando Sentinel, Associated Press, Voice of America, Security Management, El Mercurio, Tribune de Genève, and NHK. Also, he has provided on-air commentary for television and radio stations, including CBS Radio, Voice of America, Wisconsin Public Radio, and Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Business.

Prof. Alexander is on the Advisory Board of Security Magazine. He was a founding Advisory Council member of the Marsh Center for Risk Insights, research fellow at the Chesapeake Innovation Center (the first business incubator focused on homeland security), and served on the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council executive board for the Central District of Illinois. Prof. Alexander earned law degrees from Georgetown University Law Center (LL.M.) and American University, Washington College of Law (J.D.). He received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and attended the Graduate Institute of International Studies.

 Research

Book, "Family Terror Networks," http://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.php?release_id=16162

Op-Ed, “Family Connections Foster Radicalization,” Homeland411.com, Feb. 1, 2019. https://homeland411.com/family-terror-connections-foster-radicalization/

Op-Ed, "Understanding Family Terror Networks," Securitymagazine.com, Feb. 15, 2019. https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/89828-understanding-family-terror-networks

Op-Ed, “An emerging threat: Family Terror Networks,” Peoria Journal Star,  Feb. 9, 2019. https://www.pjstar.com/opinion/20190208/spotlight-emerging-threat-family-terror-networks

Article, "Finding Terrorists in Our Midst, Author of 'Family Terror Networks'" American Security Today, February 2019, pp. 35-47 (pp. 37-49 of PDF) https://view.joomag.com/feb-2019-ast-magazine-feb-2019-ast-final-magazine/0956712001550156619?short