McCormick expands Director of Police Academy role
Fairmont State University is proud to announce Jeffrey McCormick will join the College of Liberal Arts as Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice. This will be in addition to his previous role as Director of the Police Academy.
In this role, McCormick will use his 30 years of law enforcement experience to develop and oversee the Fairmont State University Police Academy, including curriculum development and instruction, site development, student recruitment and community relations. He will also be working with students in the classroom, imparting his extensive experience in law enforcement at the FBI.
“Since April, Jeff has been splitting his time between launching the inaugural class of our Police Academy and also serving as the Chief of Police,” said Vice President, Facilities Management & Campus Safety Joseph K. Han, Ed.D., MBA, CLEE. “In order to better serve our campus and create the best Police Academy possible, he has agreed to focus full-time on the Academy and join our Liberal Arts colleagues as an assistant professor.”
Fairmont State’s Police Academy is a rigorous, academically based training program that prepares cadets to enter the law enforcement profession upon graduation. The inaugural class will launch this January.
“The University is committed to providing the best law enforcement training possible to our cadets,” said Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Chris Kast, Ph.D. “Adding Jeff to our slate of expert faculty members and allowing him to focus full-time on the Academy and our criminal justice students is just another way the University is showing its full support for this inaugural program.”
Fairmont State’s Police Training Academy will be offered to students and conditionally hired officers biannually. For more information regarding the program and application process, visit www.fairmontstate.edu/policeacademy. .
Deputy Chief James W. “Bil” McGahan III will handle the day-to-day duties of the University Police Department (UPD). McGahan brings 37 years of experience to the position and joined the Fairmont State team in 2019.
McCormick served as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for more than 20 years in field divisions including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Springfield, Illinois, Cincinnati, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in addition to two tenures at the Bureau’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
In Washington D.C., McCormick held the position of Chief of the FBI Counterterrorism Watch, leading the 24-hour command post for coordination of the Bureau’s response to terrorism threats and global incidents. He also held training positions in the Bureau’s Firearms and Defensive System Training Units. Other highlights of his professional career include roles as Chief of the Leadership Programs Management Unit and the FBI National Academy. While leading the FBI National Academy, McCormick trained more than 3,000 law enforcement executives from the United States and international countries.
Most recently, McCormick returned from retirement to serve as a Supervisory Analyst at the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center in Clarksburg. He previously oversaw FBI investigations in the Southern District of West Virginia as the Senior Supervisory Resident Agent for the Bureau in Charleston until his retirement in 2020.
McCormick began his law enforcement career as a patrolman for the Perry, Georgia Police Department and was later promoted to detective. Prior to his career with the FBI, he also served as a Lieutenant for the Valdosta, Georgia Police Department. McCormick held the role of Accreditation Manager while employed by both departments, leading both to national accreditation.
McCormick possesses a Master of Public Administration from the American Military University, and received a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Georgia.
McGahan previously served as a Corporal and Lead Officer for the Fairmont State University Police Department since 2019. Prior to his tenure at Fairmont State, McGahan held the position of Assistant Chief of Police for the City of Clarksburg.
In addition to his extensive background in local law enforcement, McGahan has 14 years of experience in security management serving in roles within the Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency of the U.S. Army Office of the Provost Marshal General.
Jeffrey McCormickJames W. Bil McGahanFairmont State Police AcademyFairmont State Police Department
