Waco, TX
Commander Melissa Thompson has 17 years of experience with the Waco Police Department. She currently serves as a midnight patrol commander. Throughout her career, Commander Thompson has held various positions which include Homicide, Robbery, Narcotics and Sex Crimes. Commander Thompson has supervised the Street Crimes Unit and the Neighborhood Engagement Team. Commander Thompson was instrumental in implementing the Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence (LEAD) program in Waco to combat the growing problem of violence in youth. For her dedication, she was recognized and placed on a National Law Enforcement Executive Leadership Council within LEAD. Additionally, she served on a subcommittee for the Women’s Law Enforcement Executive Committee and assisted in developing a Mentoring program for Women in Texas. Commander Thompsons research interests include a longitudinal study on the effects of the LEAD program as well as the effectiveness of mentorship programs in developing future leaders. She holds a BA in Criminal Justice Administration and Masters in Public Administration from Tarleton State University. She was recently accepted into the Doctoral program at Tarleton State University and will be starting in the Fall.