Law Enforcement and Justice Administration

Picture of MericleJ. Gayle Mericle, Professor

Stipes Hall 403M
Phone: 309/298-1928
E-mail: JG-Mericle@wiu.edu

Dr. Mericle received a B.S. in LEA from Western Illinois University in 1974. She then received her M.S. in social justice from Lewis University in 1978, and her Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice in 1994 from Florida State University. Prior to joining the faculty at WIU in 1995, she taught in Alabama for two years.

At Western, her areas of teaching include criminal investigations, seminar in policing, and criminological theory. Dr. Mericle's areas of specialization include social psychology of policing, criminalistics, narcotics investigation, and scientific interviewing/interrogation techniques.

Dr. Mericle served for 12 years with the Joliet Police Department, working in the following capacities: patrol, Violent Street Crimes Task Force, Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad, and investigations (crimes against persons). She was Joliet's Police Officer of the Year in 1986, and WIU's College of Education and Human Services Teacher of the Year for 1997-98.