PROFESSOR GREGORY GILBERTSON
A LIFETIME OF PUBLIC SERVICE: Professor Gregory Gilbertson is a tenured criminal justice professor at a Washington State community college. He has over two decades of unblemished teaching experience. He is also a former tactical police officer and Guardian ad Litem/ Parenting Investigator. In addition to his academic duties, Greg is also a licensed private investigator and expert witness. He specializes in police use of force, false arrest, criminal defense. and self-defense casework. In just five years he has consulted with attorneys and authored reports on over 100 civil rights and criminal defense cases in 19 states.
Prior to entering law enforcement, Professor Gilbertson served in the U.S. Army as an infantry soldier and commissioned officer. He received his commission from the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School at Fort Bennning; a Distinguished Military Graduate of Class 501-86. After military service, he became a police officer in Atlanta and LaGrange, Georgia. He served as a SWAT team officer, senior patrolman, juvenile court investigator, school resource officer, stakeout squad member, and police patrolman. Advanced osteo-arthritis and two major surgeries ended his law enforcement career.
INTERNATIONAL POLICE TRAINER – IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN: Professor Gilbertson’s expert witness casework is founded in service as an International Police Trainer. As a tenured criminal justice professor, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Defense designated him an Expert in Police Practices for international training missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He initially deployed to Baghdad and worked for one year with Iraqi General Officers developing a bachelor’s degree in democratic policing for the Baghdad Police College. He was then appointed Deputy Director of the Basrah Training Academy. In Basrah he supervised the training of 500 Iraqi police cadets by British and American officers.
Professor Gilbertson later deployed to Afghanistan and served 13 months as a Police Policy Developer, Senior Mentor, and NATO Liaison to the commander of the Afghan National Police Academy. In this role he assisted Lieutenant General Sayed Mohammad Qudoosi with all aspects of daily academy operations for 3000 cadets, faculty, and staff on a 65-acre walled compound. He also secured 50 million dollars in funding for academy renovations and improvements. In summation, Professor Gilbertson has worked with police trainers from Germany, France, Norway, Canada, the Czech Republic, and United Kingdom in two active war zones for 25 months.
U.S. DISTRICT COURT OPINION: In the trial of Moises E. Ponce Alvarez v. King County Sheriff’s Office, the presiding U.S. District Court judge for the Western District of Washington (Seattle) entered their opinion into the record regarding Professor Gilbertson’s testimony: “Mr. Gilbertson’s qualifications demonstrate extensive experience in policing. His experience includes work as a Georgia police officer, SWAT team officer, superior court investigator, school resource officer, stakeout squad officer, and senior patrolman. After his law enforcement career, Mr. Gilbertson became a college professor and private investigator. He has taught courses in criminal justice and conducted pretrial investigations for attorneys in criminal cases. The Court finds his testimony can be expected to have a reliable basis in knowledge and experience.”
EXPERT WITNESS & PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR CASEWORK: Professor Gilbertson has testified as an expert witness in 30 depositions, U.S. District Court, and the state courts of Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Kansas, and Connecticut. In total, he has consulted on 105 cases in 19 states to include California, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Alabama, Ohio, North Carolina, Mississippi, Maine, Montana, Idaho, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Kentucky. Prior to becoming an expert witness, he focused his private investigations practice on criminal defense casework for 12 years.
ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS: Professor Gilbertson is a graduate of the University of Washington and Columbus College where he earned a Master’s degree in Justice Administration. In 1997 he began teaching for a private, faith-based university in Lacey, Washington. In 1999 he became a full-time professor at a Washington State community college. In 2002 he was awarded tenure. His classes are among the most popular on campus. His courses routinely enroll over 50 students, and has been called a “Flagship Program” by the Vice President of Instruction. In addition, BestColleges.com ranked his program as a “Top 10” online associate’s degree in 2018.
CROSSWALK DEGREE: Professor Gilbertson also initiated a groundbreaking program known as a “Crosswalk Degree.” The Crosswalk Degree aligns police academy training with criminal justice curriculum he developed for his college. As a result of this work, Washington State police officers, deputy sheriffs, and state troopers now receive 45 credits for academy training and police experience.
