WIU's Program Ranked #1 in State, 5th in the Nation
According to University.com, the number one school for law enforcement in the U.S. is in New York City, but the director of the number one program in Illinois per University.com has his sights set on the national top spot and is working toward that achievement by evolving Western Illinois University's program one step at a time. The independent college ranking site puts Western's law enforcement program first in the state and fifth overall in the nation, up from seventh last year.
Jamie Johnson, who was recently named the permanent director of WIU's School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA) after serving as the interim director for the past year and acting director before that, is methodically working to further enhance Western's nationally known and respected program.
LEJA, which encompasses law enforcement, emergency management and fire protection services, is the top undergraduate program at Western.
'Compared to other institutions that offer degrees like Western's, our faculty stand out. They've all done the job in the field; they know what they're doing and can provide those real experiences to our students,' Johnson explained.
Besides the University. com rankings, WIU's fire protection services and emergency management programs are listed at 10th and 12th in the nation, respectively, an intelligent. com. Johnson explained the emergency management program is new to the LEJA curriculum, it was previously housed in health sciences, and has been redesigned to a practitioner- based approach.
Western's LEJA program was created in 1969 when President A. L. Knoblauch, along with program director Clifford Van Meter and faculty members John Conrad and Maurice Porter, spearheaded its development, with its emphasis on the preparation of police officers. Twenty-five students were enrolled and two years later the graduation of WIU's first law enforcement students marked the beginning of the program that has educated more than 20,000 law enforcement professionals.
A master's degree program, added in 1976, and today, classes are offered in Macomb, as well as online.
Fire sciences and homeland security, were added over the years to keep up with changing times, while emergency management moved to the school in 2020.
Besides its experienced faculty and reputation, recent additions and new strategies are putting Western's School of LEJA ahead of the game … and inching the program to that top spot in the nation. When Johnson took over the school as the interim last summer, one of the things he noticed was that the program did not have any articulation agreements in place with community colleges, so he cast a net.
'I looked at community colleges throughout the state, and then I started reaching out to faculty about coming to their classes and bringing our program to them so their students could learn what we offer and what we provide our students,' Johnson explained. 'I talked about fingerprinting, DNA analysis, night tracking, crime labs and more. If I couldn't get to the classroom, we held a session on Zoom.'
Because of Johnson's doggedness, Western's program established its first articulation agreement with its neighbor, John Wood Community College in Quincy, and since that time, numerous other agreements have been put into place as a result of those 69 community colleges. Johnson and members of the LEJA faculty visited during the Fall 2025 semester. Then his sights turned to high schools throughout the state, particularly those in rural regions, where the team once again brought the LEJA classroom directly to the students. In Spring 2026, he and some of his faculty hit 30-some in the state.
'We talk a little and have time for questions, then we let them 'play' with the equipment – night vision goggles, microscopes, fingerprint kits,' he shared.
'And this fall, we are seeing the fruits of our labor from last year. I've had advisers tell me that some of the students coming in this fall are from some of the schools we visited. We have a lot to do to continue to rebuild and revamp the program, but we will be bigger and better than before.'
Leading the Way
Hands-on experiences in the classroom – and beyond – give Western's LEJA students a leg up on their counterparts from other institutions because they're ready to hit the ground running following graduation, Johnson noted. Besides the faculty who have actually done the job in the 'real world' before teaching (and some continue with their outside-academia job), guest lecturers from such federal – and international - agencies as the FBI and Interpol to state organizations, such as the state police, are frequently part of the curriculum. There's also the equipment, technology and internships that put Western grads ahead of the pack Tech in Action
Most law enforcement agencies in urban areas, along with those criminal justice-related state and federal organizations, use the common software, Juvare or D4H, Johnson pointed out. Juvare is a Department of Defense information and incident management systems global platform used for emergency preparedness, critical incident management and daily operational tracking for corporations, hospitals, universities, state governments, etc. D4H, based out of Dublin, Ireland, is the number one all-hazard incidence management platform for international law. Both programs were provided to Western as part of a multi-million dollar corporate sponsorship.
And Western has both.
'Juvare provided our program the 'Ferrari' version of their platform and we're only one of five universities in the nation – and the only university in Illinois – that provides this program to its students. Experts who use this program, such as those in the LAPD, FBI, Illinois State Police, IEMA and others have come in to train our students,' Johnson stated. 'D4H is another staunch supporter of our program, and like Juvare, our students are trained on this international platform at no cost to the institution.'
'When our students graduate, they know how to use these programs in their jobs immediately,' he added.
'These skillsets are critical for this program and their careers.'
McCamey Crime Lab McCamey Crime Lab, located in Knoblauch Hall, is just one aspect of the program that puts it ahead of others. Named after the late Bill McCamey, a WIU alumnus and law enforcement and justice administration professor from 1982-2012, the 'forward thinker' was always looking for new ways to recruit students and promote his department, as well as staying up to date on trends to enhance his students' education. His legacy lives on at Western through the premier state-of-theart crime lab, named in his honor. The lab was funded by his wife, Jody, and his mother, Toby McCamey.
The McCamey Crime Lab debuted in January 2019.
The lab houses alternate light source equipment with magnifying lenses and interchangeable barrier filters to examine hair, fibers, semen, dust, prints, blood and palmar oils, as well as other physiological fluids. The lab also features an optical comparator, which examines tool marks, fingerprints, palm prints, footprints and glass fragments; a forensic workstation; a ductless dry safe and numerous evidence recovery kits, including a liquid silicone casting kit, latent print kit, digital mobile device kit and blood spatter documentation kit.
Additionally, the crime lab is equipped with movable walls, props, cameras and mannequins so the room can be transformed to stage working crime scenes.
Emergency Operations Center A $2 million federal grant that was awarded to Western in 2022 allowed the institution to renovate space in Sallee Hall for a permanent emergency operations center to serve not only the university, but the west central Illinois region. The center provides support for ongoing all-hazards prevention, protection, mitigation and recovery efforts for the surrounding region, as well as an alternative EOC in downstate Illinois, and is yet another hands-on, real-world opportunity for students, Johnson stated.
'This is a cutting-edge learning and training center, along with current public safety professionals and other emergency responders,' he added.
Internships Spanning the Globe As students progress through their degree plan, they develop interests in specific areas, whether it be criminal justice, emergency management, fire science, Homeland Security, probation, corrections or moving on to graduate or law school studies. At the end of their undergraduate studies, students typically wrap up their chosen degree with an internship in locations as near or far as they can imagine.
Retired Illinois State Police commander and LEJA Instructor Glen Schwartz, who has taught criminal investigations at Western since 2011, leads the internship program, which includes more than 3,000 agencies. A typical semester- long internship for WIU students is 360 hours of unpaid work; or nine weeks of 40 hours per week. The LEJA program also offers a classroom option to students who are not interested in a hands-on internship.
WIU & the ATF
In addition, according to Johnson, Western's program and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) share a strong, ongoing partnership that enhances the academic and professional journeys of WIU students.
'This collaboration provides students with direct pathways to careers within federal agencies and enables the exchange of expertise and resources between WIU's renowned School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA) and the ATF,' he said.
Through initiatives like the 'Government to Graduate' project, the WIU-ATF partnership goes beyond typical educational alliances by providing exposure to real-world career insights and federal recruitment opportunities. WIU/ATF collaboration includes specialized programs, mentorships, internships and training.
Listen, Learn, Connect If running the largest department on campus isn't enough, Johnson created – and hosts – the podcast, 'WIU: Inside the System.'
The bi-weekly episodes bring law enforcement experts in to give their perspective and educate people on the work that goes on behind the scenes.
“The heart and soul of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration at WIU is our faculty, staff and all the individuals who assisted in the podcast's development. I have a tremendous team and this platform allows students and professionals to gain insight on each of these elite professionals as well as the ability to take a deep dive into their specialty areas,' he explained.
Topics covered over the past year include patrol work, gang violence, corporate, public and private security, terrorism and de-escalation, among others.
The first episode launched in September 2025.
“WIU: Inside the System connects academic knowledge with real-world experience, giving listeners an inside look at the people, professions and critical issues shaping the future of law enforcement and public safety,' Johnson added.
Episodes of 'WIU: Inside the System' can be found on WIU's YouTube at go.wiu. edu/4nmBxUd and on Spotify at go.wiu.edu/4gJIjkr.
Education for Professionals in the Field A recent state partnership between the four public universities, which includes WIU, and the Illinois State Police (ISP) allows troopers to earn 12 educational credits towards an LEJA bachelor's degree.
'WIU is a nationally recognized leader in the delivery of public safety educational programs. We are well positioned to enhance the educational levels of the Illinois State Police workforce with a streamlined path for the completion of a degree,' President Kristi Mindrup said.
Delivering Exemplary Skillsets: The Future of LEJA at WIU 'It's not just books and classroom experiences in our school, we deliver real skillsets,' Johnson stressed.
Johnson is continuing to push for more technology to further enhance those skillsets, and is setting up the program not only for its current and future students, but for professionals in the field, particularly those who work in rural areas and want to further their knowledge.
'Our faculty are taking part in more professional development, we're adding that technology, we're building even more partnerships, we provide excellent tutoring for our students and we're improving our curriculum to keep up with the changing times – mental health, situational awareness, policing in the 21st century, ethics in law enforcement, de-escalation and more,' he said. 'I want to be able to tell students and their families who are looking at our program that they will leave Western with the skills, knowledge and training they need to succeed. They're giving us their hard-earned money and we are going to deliver a product that gets them a good job.'
For more information on WIU’s School of LEJA, visit wiu.edu/leja.
