Law Enforcement and Justice Administration

 butts

Professor Butts is an experienced law enforcement trainer, investigator, and leader having served for 30 plus years with the Macon County Sheriff’s Office in Decatur, Illinois.  Professor Butts retired in August of 2019 as the Administrative Lieutenant where he oversaw all administrative functions of the sheriff’s office.  Professor Butts had previously served as a patrol deputy, detective, patrol sergeant, court security supervisor, patrol lieutenant, patrol commander, and chief of investigations.  Professor Butts has served as a supervisor for numerous investigations which include; homicides, robberies, home invasions, sexual assaults, murder for hire cases, and weapons violations.  During his career, Professor Butts received several accommodations for his investigative work in domestic violence cases and homicide cases.  Professor Butts was also awarded his agency’s purple heart when he was shot in the line of duty in June of 1992.

Professor Butts is an Illinois certified lead homicide investigator, juvenile officer, breath alcohol tester, police motorcycle officer, crisis intervention training (CIT) and active shooter instructor.  Professor Butts also instructs at the Macon County Law Enforcement Training Center where he teaches new police recruits in the areas of field operations, patrol procedures, juvenile law, reporting writing, domestic violence investigation, traffic procedures, and several other law enforcement training areas. 

Professor Butts is a graduate of Western Illinois University earning his B.S. degree in Law Enforcement Administration.  He earned his Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from Lincoln Christian University.  Professor Butts is also a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy for law enforcement executives, session #258 in Quantico, Virginia.

Criminal investigations that Professor Butts has been involved with have gone onto be aired on Forensic Files and Accident, Suicide, or Murder.  Professor Butts has extensive experience in the fields of police budgeting, police policy, police testing, police contract negotiations, police personnel, police discipline, corrections’ operations, court security development, traffic enforcement, crime scene investigations, firearms, and traffic crash investigations.

At the time of Professor Butts’ retirement, he was doing extensive upgrades with his agency’s Criminal Justice Information Services protocol certification, developing an agency inclusive Finger Print Identification System (AFIS), facial recognition software, while also converting his agency’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) to the newer National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). During Professor Butts’ tenure with the sheriff’s office he attended over 1000 hours of in-service training.