William Bourns This is Me

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1. 1. www.csindy.com

   www.csindy.com/gyrobase/Conten - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/13/2007   Last Visited: 1/6/2008

   William Bourns, a criminologist at California State University, Stanislaus, started looking five years ago at how vulnerable churches are to such attacks. He and a colleague surveyed dozens of institutions; many responding pastors perceived increasing levels of violence in churches, but had not yet formed plans about what to do if an attack happened.
   
   But Bourns says he does not know of any research looking specifically at what happens to churches after they experience an attack. The country's school shootings have attracted far more research, and Bourns suggests only loose parallels: In both cases, the killer often seems to have some connection to the place attacked.

2. 2. Modbee.com | The Modesto Bee

   www.modbee.com/local/story/918 - [Cached]

   Published on: 9/22/2004   Last Visited: 9/22/2004

   William Bourns, an assistant professor of criminal justice at California State University, Stanislaus, said that while gangs never disappeared, there seems to be a new awareness of gang activity.
   
   "Now it's like the sleeping dog that woke up," he said. "This time around with gangs, the word is organized."
   
   The leadership has a new level of sophistication in dealing with the law and organizing members. Gangs are more likely to carry on their criminal activities in other communities, where they're not known to local law enforcement.
   
   But Bourns said gangs tend to fracture over time, and he thinks that is happening.
   
   "We're at the early stages of claiming neighborhoods," he said. Members are starting to define their turf.
   
   He said that because of limited budgets, police are "doing triage" in gang suppression, following only the most flagrant cases.
   
   But he is optimistic.
   
   "The hope is they're not behind the eight ball," Bourns said.

3. 3. www.modbee.com

   www.modbee.com/1618/story/2474 - [Cached]

   Published on: 3/23/2002   Last Visited: 3/25/2008

   They enter into these shady crimes and can do shady things because they think they'll never be caught," said William Bourns, associate professor of criminal justice at California State University, Stanislaus. "They ride the edge."
   
   Bourns said ethics are pounded into recruits and criminal justice majors -- he teaches "Police Ethics and Liability" at the university -- but students tend to sleep through it. There's a sense in most people that they know right from wrong, so they tune out, Bourns said. Problems are compounded when individuals who haven't paid attention start to think, "I am the law," he said.
   
   "Officers engaged in these shady behaviors, they start to think, 'It's OK, I'm a police officer,' " he said.