Alma R. Burke
Los Angeles,USA
Summary
Dynamic leader with extensive experience at the University of Southern California, specializing in emergency management and community engagement. Proven track record in developing innovative training programs and enhancing organizational culture. Adept at strategic planning and fostering stakeholder relationships, driving significant improvements in public safety and operational efficiency.
Overview
34
34
years of professional experience
Work History
Subject Matter Expert, Adjunct Instructor
Burke Consulting Group LLC
06.2021 - Current
- I provide subject matter expertise through the Institute for Intergovernmental Research Institute, delivering training on various topics, including leadership, officer wellness, building community trust, command and control, emergency management, and recruitment and retention.
- I travel nationwide with a team of twenty-five esteemed law enforcement leaders, conducting training sessions for law enforcement executives and mid-level management.
- I am also a contractor to the Office on Violence Against Women and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
- Bureau of Justice Security clearance since 2020.
- Specializing in safety measures, protocols, and training. Website: https://www.burkeconsultinggroup.org/
- Providing consultation services to the following companies with security protocols, workplace violence, active shooter training, SB553 compliance and business continuity plans: Starbucks Corporation, Boys and Girls Club of South Los Angeles (4 clubs), Ellison Institute for Research, Bureau of Justice, Training and Development of Executive Leadership Program.
Assistant Chief of Operations/Director
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
01.2020 - 01.2023
- Led a staff of three hundred officers at a university with over one hundred thousand employees and sixty thousand students on campus.
- Oversaw all operational functions and budget: deployment of emergency services, quality of life issues, comprehensive crime strategies, compliance, and emergency management response.
- Directed all staff and security training, including Crisis Prevention Institute, Workplace Violence Prevention, Joint Commission, Cal/OSHA requirements, and development of crisis negotiation and implementation of the use of Incident Command System.
- Developed community engagement strategies to reduce and prevent violent crime in our community, quality of life concerns 'One Tent at a Time,' and collaborated efforts with the City of Los Angeles.
- Initiated the first Autism Awareness training for public safety departments.
- Developed engagement practices to interact with our students during the pandemic.
- Implemented an officer wellness program in law enforcement to address climate change.
- Incident commander for demonstrations with an organized, unified command to address and protect First Amendment rights.
- Under my leadership, I oversaw major events with sixty thousand attendees at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Sergeant II Officer in Charge- Tactics
Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles, CA
09.2018 - 01.2020
- Managed the training curriculum for the entire department, with a staff of twenty officers and two professional staff, while training 60-75 officers a day.
- Supervised 25 department training coordinators.
- Developed a curriculum for 9800 sworn officers in command and control, critical incident management, mental health training, immediate rapid entry, firearm manipulations, incident debriefing, Force Options Simulator, crowd control, pursuit intervention, 40mm, less lethal tools, and tactical communications/briefings.
- Researcher and expert in the first virtual reality training at LAPD.
- Use of force expert.
Sergeant II
Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles, CA
02.2017 - 09.2018
- Managed a specialized unit of forty officers.
- Helped launch the implementation of community engagement and collaboration efforts with key external stakeholders.
- Oversaw a $2.4-million-dollar grant project to address crime reduction strategies, gang reduction and intervention, school safe passage, community programs, and educational opportunities.
- Trained department personnel to develop and implement community programs that connect us to the greater community.
- Worked closely with the Advancement Project, Boys and Girls Club, local community leaders, and faith-based programs.
- Co-founded a STEM project in housing developments to help underprivileged kids connect with science and engineering.
Detective Supervisor
Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles, CA
06.2014 - 02.2017
- Responsible for the investigation of critical incidents such as Officer Involved Shootings, Law Enforcement Related Injuries, negligent discharges, off-duty shootings, and major critical incidents.
- Presented preliminary and final findings to the Chief of Police, the Police Commission, the Inspector General’s Office, the District Attorney, and the mayor’s office.
Detective Supervisor Homicide
Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles, CA
06.2011 - 06.2014
- Managed 12 detectives assigned to investigate homicides in the most violent part of the city.
- Implemented and developed relationships with our Gang Reduction and Youth programs to help curtail violent crime in our community.
- Built relationships with our federal partners to apprehend and ultimately help convict homicide suspects.
- Authored two federal wiretaps and RICO cases.
Sergeant II Vice Sergeant
Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles, CA
09.2009 - 06.2011
- Supervised 20 officers, both uniformed and undercover.
- Implemented strategies to collaborate with federal agencies to start the first human trafficking unit in southern California.
Detective I
Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles, CA
09.2006 - 09.2009
- Investigated violent crimes against people and sexual assaults.
- Wrote comprehensive investigative reports, presented cases for filing to the District Attorney’s office, and trained other newly appointed detectives in conducting interviews and interrogations.
Detective Trainee
Los Angeles Police Department
Hollywood
01.2006 - 12.2006
- Investigated complex criminal cases involving homicides and serious offenses.
- Collected and analyzed evidence from crime scenes to build case files.
- Interviewed witnesses and suspects to gather critical information for investigations.
- Collaborated with forensic teams to review and interpret forensic evidence.
- Developed intelligence sources to enhance case investigations and community safety.
- Prepared detailed reports documenting findings, actions, and recommendations for prosecution.
- Coordinated with local, state, and federal agencies on multi-jurisdictional investigations.
- Trained junior detectives in investigative techniques and departmental procedures.
- Conducted interviews and interrogations with witnesses, victims, and suspects.
- Testified in court cases to back up case evidence and detail timelines.
- Conducted investigations of suspects and interviewed witnesses to obtain statements.
- Obtained and executed search and arrest warrants in full compliance with legal protections.
- Collaborated with other law enforcement agencies in the investigation of criminal activities.
- Analyzed evidence collected from crime scenes to identify potential suspects.
- Maintained professional relationships with members of the community while conducting investigations.
- Prepared detailed reports of investigative activities and findings.
- Collected, preserved, and analyzed evidence such as fingerprints, weapons, documents, drugs.
- Reviewed police records and other information sources to obtain leads in cases.
- Offered advice, guidance and leadership to junior detectives.
- Managed investigations and prepared criminal cases for court.
Sergeant I
Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles, CA
08.2005 - 09.2006
- Managed 35 uniformed patrol officers in South Central Los Angeles.
- Responded to assaults with deadly weapons, domestic violence, officer-involved shootings, and gang-related homicides.
- Helped implement a new training and deployment schedule for our division.
- Processed and investigated internal/external investigations with allegations of misconduct.
- Provided insight to executive staff with adjudicating complaints and helped set accountability measures to build community trust and transparency.
- Developed scheduling comprehensive practices for deployment to major incidents (ICS).
Training Officer
Los Angeles Police Department
Hollywood
01.1999 - 12.2005
Patrol Officer
Los Angeles Police Department
Newton
01.1996 - 12.1999
Police Cadet
Santa Ana Police Department
Santa Ana, CA
01.1992 - 12.1995
- Assisted officers with patrol duties and community engagement activities.
- Conducted preliminary investigations and gathered evidence at crime scenes.
- Participated in training exercises to enhance law enforcement skills and procedures.
- Collaborated with local agencies to promote safety initiatives within the community.
- Observed and reported suspicious activities to ensure public safety and order.
- Supported administrative tasks, including maintaining records and preparing reports.
- Engaged with community members to build trust and foster positive relationships.
- Followed protocols for handling emergency situations while ensuring safety compliance.
- Operated computer to access law enforcement records, type reports, and send messages.
- Attended meetings with other law enforcement personnel to discuss strategies for crime prevention.
- Inspected vehicles for safety violations and issued citations when necessary.
- Assisted in the processing of criminal evidence and documents.
- Provided support to police officers during investigations and patrols.
- Developed relationships with members of the community to build trust and understanding between law enforcement and residents.
- Monitored security cameras located around the city in order to detect suspicious activity.
- Directed traffic during large events or accidents.
- Responded professionally to telephone calls.
- Observed and reported suspicious activity.
- Acquired working knowledge of department practices, procedures and equipment by participating in training sessions and one-on-one mentoring.
Education
Associate degree - criminal justice
Santa Ana Community College
Santa Ana, CABachelor’s degree - occupational studies
California State University, Long Beach
Long Beach, CAMaster’s degree - executive management and leadership studies
University of Southern California (USC)
Los Angeles, CADoctoral candidate - Education and Organizational Change Leadership
University of Southern California (USC)
Los Angeles, CASkills
- Emergency & Crisis Management
- Public Safety & Risk Mitigation
- Security Operations & Compliance
- Organizational Culture Change
- Leadership Development & Training
- Business Continuity Planning
- Workplace Violence Prevention
- High-Stakes Incident Command
- Stakeholder & Community Engagement
- Policy writing
- Curriculum development
- Crisis management
- Incident command
- Safety protocols
- Community outreach
- Training delivery
- Regulatory compliance
- Evidence analysis
- Team leadership
- Effective communication
- Problem solving
- Conflict resolution
- Strategic planning
- Relationship building
- Creative solutions
- Innovative mindset
- Deep expertise
- Customer focus
- Strategic thinking
- Training and mentoring
- Strong analytical skills
- Operational efficiency
- Project restructuring
- Customer relationship management
- Professional demeanor
- Business strategy development
- Continuous improvement
- Commission structures
- Business development
- Lean management
- Business reporting
- International mobility management
- Project planning
- Program evaluation
- Audit reporting
- Business ethics
- Workflow optimization
- Reliability
- Self motivation
- Organizational development
- Idea development and brainstorming
- Change management
- Problem-solving
- Risk management
- Performance management
Affiliations
- Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association-Vice President
- Los Angeles Women Police Officers and Associates- Past President
- Los Angeles Police Department William H. Parker Foundation-Advisory Council
- CA-Women of Homeland Security-Past Director and Speaker
- National Association of Women in Law Enforcement-Speaker
- USC Latino Alumni Association-Board Member
- Los Angeles Protective League-Union-Past Delegate
- Los Angeles Police Department Professional Development- Conference Director
- California Homicide Investigators Association-Speaker
- Reaction Research Project, “Rockets in the Projects”-Founder
- Los Angeles Anti-Defamation League- Committee member/Speaker
- Boys and Girls Club-Willow Brook-Associate Chair of Public Safety
Accomplishments
- Developed the curriculum and coordinated the first bilingual community police academy.
- Development of community building and advisory board to address community trust.
- Collaborated with our internal and external partners to develop resources for the unhoused.
- Implemented 24/7-foot beats and crime reduction strategies along the violent crime areas and created safe passages for children to attend school.
- Strategic Plan and budget strategist to retain and hire new employees.
- Authored safety grants to implement a mobile medicine unit to address quality-of-life issues.
- USC LGBTQ campus support and collaboration on the first Guide for Inclusivity.
- USC Relationship Sexual Violence Prevention grant for trauma-informed training.
- Director of Engagement at the California Women in Homeland Security.
- Addressed threats to the community and provided training to key stakeholders.
- Hosted command-level virtual promotions and mentorship programs.
- Campus Safety Magazine as a presenter on mental health and wellness.
- DPS quarterly coaching & leadership development.
- Developed the first USC sergeant’s school to address on-campus threats, active shooter, and readiness programs.
- Implemented the “One Tent at a Time” homeless initiative to reduce the number of unhoused people in the community.
- Tactical operations- comprehensive technology to update our radio system, allowing us to communicate with our LAPD/LASD/CHP partners during critical incidents.
Languages
Spanish
Professional
Timeline
Subject Matter Expert, Adjunct Instructor
Burke Consulting Group LLC
06.2021 - Current
Assistant Chief of Operations/Director
University of Southern California
01.2020 - 01.2023
Sergeant II Officer in Charge- Tactics
Los Angeles Police Department
09.2018 - 01.2020
Sergeant II
Los Angeles Police Department
02.2017 - 09.2018
Detective Supervisor
Los Angeles Police Department
06.2014 - 02.2017
Detective Supervisor Homicide
Los Angeles Police Department
06.2011 - 06.2014
Sergeant II Vice Sergeant
Los Angeles Police Department
09.2009 - 06.2011
Detective I
Los Angeles Police Department
09.2006 - 09.2009
Detective Trainee
Los Angeles Police Department
01.2006 - 12.2006
Sergeant I
Los Angeles Police Department
08.2005 - 09.2006
Training Officer
Los Angeles Police Department
01.1999 - 12.2005
Patrol Officer
Los Angeles Police Department
01.1996 - 12.1999
Police Cadet
Santa Ana Police Department
01.1992 - 12.1995
Associate degree - criminal justice
Santa Ana Community College
Bachelor’s degree - occupational studies
California State University, Long Beach
Master’s degree - executive management and leadership studies
University of Southern California (USC)
Doctoral candidate - Education and Organizational Change Leadership
University of Southern California (USC)