Joe Armistead is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Criminal and Justice Studies Program at the University of Missouri and a retired Captain with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. In addition to 30 years total service to the state of Missouri, he brings more than 25 years of law enforcement experience and over a decade of college-level teaching, leadership development, and curriculum design to the classroom.
Before joining the University of Missouri, Professor Armistead served in numerous leadership roles with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, including Captain of the Training Division, where he oversaw statewide training initiatives, instructor development, and leadership programs. Throughout his career, he worked in training, internal affairs, budget and procurement, legislative liaison, and field operations. Through his professional experience Professor Armistead is able to provide students with practical insights into the complexities of modern criminal justice organizations.
In addition to his work at MU, Professor Armistead has served since 2015 as an Adjunct Professor and Course Director for the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety. He teaches courses in leadership, organizational behavior, strategic planning, employee relations, budgeting, human resources, decision-making, and training management. His teaching philosophy emphasizes the integration of evidence-based practices, adult-learning principles, and real world application to help students connect theory with professional practice.
Professor Armistead is a frequent presenter at professional conferences and has spoken at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Annual Conference on innovative approaches to law enforcement education and recruit training. He also serves as a subject matter expert and manuscript reviewer for Police Chief Magazine, contributing to the advancement of scholarship and professional practice in the field.
His teaching and research interests include criminal justice systems, recruitment and retention, policing, theories of crime, leadership and ethics, organizational behavior, strategic planning, policy development, training and instructional design, juvenile justice, and community partnerships through experiential learning.
