Gary Will, M.S.CJ.
Assistant Professor
Criminal Justice Department
Education
M.S. in Criminal Justice (2003)
Andrew Jackson University; Birmingham, Ala.
Undergraduate Certificate (2003)
School of Police Staff and Command
Northwestern University; Evanston, Ill.
B.S. in Liberal Studies, dual minors Criminal Justice and Political Science (2000)
Eastern Oregon University; La Grande, Ore.
A.S. in General Studies, occupational minor Criminal Justice Administration
Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, Ore.
Biography
Prof. Will started his career as a police cadet when he was 16. He was promoted to reserve police officer at 18, reserve commander at 19, full-time at 20, and was hired as chief of police at 26. Prof. Will was also a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician working on both fire ambulances and police ambulances until he became a chief. At 33, he enlisted in the Alaska National Guard as a private and 18 months later received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army. He served on active duty in the National Guard and the Army Reserve before an injury ended his federal military service. He went into the Oregon Military Department, where he rose to the rank of Major, with his final duties being the acting executive officer and the S3 (Operations, Planning and Training officer) for the 41st Regimental Group within the Oregon military department.
Prof. Will continued his law enforcement career as a police chief, becoming licensed or certified in five different states. During his career, he worked in areas including undercover drug enforcement, traffic enforcement, commercial motor vehicle enforcement, and as a deputy medical examiner. As a chief, he also had the additional duties as director of emergency management for several communities. He served as the chair of the Southern Southeast Alaska local emergency planning committee and served a term on the Alaska State Emergency Response Commission. He became a FEMA Type 3 incident commander. He worked in all types of disasters during his career, from the ashfall of Mount St. Helens, floods, earthquakes, and tornados and was on the last plane into Baltimore before super hurricane Sandy hit, riding out the hurricane near the water in Annapolis, Maryland.
Prof. Will has been married to his wife, Tamee, since 1981, and together, they have had four children and six grandchildren. So far, Prof. Will has written three books, is a member of the American Legion, and currently serves as the 1st Vice-Commander of the Forest City Post. He is also a life member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. In his spare time, he loves to travel and operates his own travel agency.
