Dr. Lloyd Nguyen serves as an associate professor of criminal justice at the College of the Ozarks. Dr. Nguyen served 27 years in law enforcement (1996-2023) with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California. Within 27 years, Dr. Nguyen worked various assignments, including corrections, gang task force, patrol operations, statewide inmate transportation (state prisons/death row), and airport police services (John Wayne Airport). Dr. Nguyen was promoted through the ranks as a corrections and patrol sergeant, watch commander (lieutenant) in corrections, and retired as an administrative captain for the largest jail in Orange County, California. In addition to law enforcement, Dr. Nguyen served four years of active duty in the United States Marine Corps (1988-1992) with a combat tour in the Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm). Dr. Nguyen served another 11 years in the United States Air Force Reserve (2009-2020) and separated at the rank of Master Sergeant (E-7) while working with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Dr. Nguyen earned his DBA (doctorate) from Northcentral University in 2021 in Homeland Security, Leadership and Policy.
My educational focus for the Criminal Justice Program at the College of the Ozarks mirrors CofO’s Criminal Justice Department’s objectives, which are for students to:
- Demonstrate an understanding and working knowledge of the criminal justice system, including its three major components: police, courts, and corrections (Academic);
- Develop the skills and abilities necessary for practical application in the criminal justice community, including honesty, integrity, and Christ-like character (Vocational);
- Discern the difference between a secular worldview and a biblically-informed worldview and apply that (biblically-informed) worldview to all the decisions they make and the actions they take (Christian);
- Demonstrate and understand the requirements of serving as a member of the criminal justice system and the sacrifices required of those who are called to serve (Patriotic);
- Exhibit an understanding of how different people of various cultures interact with members of the criminal justice system in the United States (Cultural). As part of my focus, I aim to impart to the students my training, education, and experience as a practitioner and scholar with 27 years in law enforcement, including aspects of law enforcement such as patrol operations, corrections, investigation, supervision, and management.