Security Faculty Spotlight – Gary Williams, FL DI License 1600224
We want to introduce you to NITA’s newest faculty team member, Gary Williams.
Gary Williams graduated from Bloomsburg University with a BA degree in Psychology and chose a career in law enforcement. Gary achieved the rank of Special Agent and has extensive experience in law enforcement investigations and training. During his career, he served for over 30 years as a full-time peace officer with the State of California. He also had working memorandums of understanding with the United States Department of State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security, and provided training at numerous law enforcement conferences on behalf of those agencies in the United States, Canada, and Central America.
Gary specialized in gang investigations and worked with the FBI MS 13 International Gang Task Force, the California Department of Justice Joint Terrorism Threat Assessment Task Force and Joint Terrorism Task Force, the California Governor’s Office State Anti-Gang Intelligence Network Team, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force and was an Advisory Board Member of the California Gang Task Force. In 2015, following his very successful career, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for his career work in law enforcement from Bloomsburg University.
Following his retirement, Gary went to work at Walt Disney World for 8½ years in the Security Department. He earned his class “D” and “DI” licenses at Disney, and while in the Security training department, he followed his passion for teaching by instructing classes, researching, developing, and rewriting Disney’s Class D academy training, post instructions, and several other security-related training curricula. This led to his promotion to The Disney Company, where he was involved in the Workplace Violence prevention training program.
Gary teaches our online Florida Class D Training. Get to know Gary more:
With your years of experience, what do you enjoy about the security industry? Getting into the security profession, I could see the need to promote continuing education and training with security staff. What I observed in Security made me appreciate the extensive training I had received in my law enforcement career and gave me a new passion to provide additional training to security staff to prepare them for their careers. That includes helping them be better prepared for their next level in the security industry as a supervisor and beyond. Being part of that development and helping them along the way is very rewarding experience. When you work with students who are just starting out in security, I have been given the opportunity to make a positive impression and mold them into professional security officers. I greatly enjoyed this opportunity.
As a security professional, what advice would you give Security officers? I emphasize the importance of integrity, professionalism, and a strong work ethic. These are the basics of being the best officer you can be. You can display these qualities by reporting to work every day on time, looking good in a clean and pressed uniform and with all of your equipment, and being someone that your supervisors and teammates can depend on. In addition, I try to make sure they all know the importance of continuing their training and education.
What do you love about teaching, and what can you offer our students?? I would say that my father was an excellent role model and was a teacher his entire life. Seeing his passion every day instilled in me that same quality and love for teaching in me. When I teach, I give the students everything I have and more every day. I also have many years of training and experience in law enforcement, and I use some of those experiences as examples in each class. My mission is to give the students everything they need to be successful in each course and in the security field. I take great pride in finding ways for the students to learn and develop and being part of their development.
