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Topic: Gang Violence

Andrew Traver

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Andrew Traver, B.A., is a professor of practice in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He joined MSU Denver in fall 2019 teaching federal law enforcement and terrorism, which explores the relationships among federal law-enforcement agencies; and American gangsters, which examines the nature and causes of gangs. His experience and background will help students bridge the gap between theoretical and practical worlds in criminal justice and cybersecurity.

Traver began his 32-year federal law-enforcement career investigating gang-related crimes and violations of federal firearms, narcotics and explosives law. He served as special agent in charge in the Denver and Chicago field-division offices of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and held several supervisory positions throughout his 26-year career with ATF. Traver served as Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) director 2013-19, focusing on the myriad global threats to the Navy and Marine Corps ashore, afloat and in cyberspace, including foreign-intelligence challenges, terrorism and criminal behavior. He joined MSU Denver on July 1, 2019, as a visiting faculty member and as a special advisor to President Davidson.

Traver earned a bachelor’s in sociology and criminal justice from Northern Illinois University, graduating summa cum laude. He later joined the Navy, graduating third in his class from Officer Candidate School before graduating with honors from Surface Warfare Officer School.

Rebecca Trammell

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Rebecca Trammell, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department. She currenlty serves as Interim Dean of the College of Health and Applied Sciences.

Trammell studied sociology at San Diego State University, where she received her bachelor’s in sociology. She then received her master’s in sociology from the University of California, Irvine in 2002 and her doctorate from the same university in 2007. She specializes in inmate violence, incarceration, prison culture and gender. She has published articles on relational violence, the inmate code, violence against child molesters in prison, and legal practices in Islamic countries.

Her book “Enforcing the Convict Code: Violence and Prison Culture” focuses on how culture is transmitted in prison and how male and female inmates differ with regard to how violence is socially constructed. She was a principal investigator for a comprehensive study of male and female inmates in Nebraska where she researched conflict between inmates and staff and the connection between respect and violence in prison. She has taught courses in Criminological Theories, Research Methods, Victimology, Juvenile Justice, Female Offenders, and Punishment and Society.

Stacey Hervey

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Stacey Hervey, MSSc, is an associate professor in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She specializes in school safety, extremism, hate crimes/group violence and issues affecting juveniles.

Hervey has worked in Victim Services and spent a short time as a patrol officer before deciding to teach full time. She is a mayoral appointee to the City of Denver Crime Prevention and Control Commission and in 2009 received the FBI Director Leadership Award for her contributions to the community. Hervey has also received the Mile High Teacher Award and Distinguished Teacher Award. She is a member of the Rocky Mountain Association of Identification and has worked with Homeland Security and the Attorney General’s office to develop training resources for parents on internet safety and has presented throughout the United States.

In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses for Metropolitan State University of Denver, Hervey also teaches courses for University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with her primary role being a high school teacher for Denver Public Schools. She is most proud of her work advocating for marginalized communities and introducing law enforcement careers to underrepresented populations.

Hervey received a master of social science in Criminal Justice from University of Colorado Denver and bachelor of arts in Sociology and Deviance from University of Colorado Boulder. She also holds a Law Enforcement Certificate from Arapahoe Community College and a Teaching Certificate from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

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