Dr. Ben Stickle is a Professor of Criminal Justice Administration at Middle Tennessee State University, where he specializes in research, grantsmanship, and teaching. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Cedarville University and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Justice Administration from the University of Louisville. His research focuses on policing (use of force, administration, and training), property crime (metal theft and burglary), and emerging crimes such as package theft, crime in the sharing economy, pet theft, and the impacts of COVID-19 on crime. With a theoretical emphasis on crime opportunity and rational choice, he is recognized for his expertise in qualitative methods.

Dr. Stickle’s research has been published in leading journals, including the American Journal of Criminal Justice, Victims & Offenders, European Journal of Criminology, and Policing: An International Journal. He is the author of Metal Scrappers and Thieves (Springer, 2017), editor of Field Studies in Environmental Criminology (Routledge, 2022), and co-editor of Policing Behavior, Hiring, and Crime Fighting: An International View (Routledge, 2021). His work has attracted national and international attention, with hundreds of media interviews (e.g., The New York Times, Good Morning America, NBC Investigative Reporting), presentations at forums like the United Nations in Genevan, the Stockholm Criminology Symposium, the Canadian Senate, and engagement with practitioner audiences worldwide.

With over decade of professional experience in criminal justice, Dr. Stickle has served as a Police Officer, Crime Scene Investigator, and Private Security Officer. He is a graduate of the National Forensic Academy, a two-time President of the Kentucky Peace Officers' Association, and a member of the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council. He frequently serves as an expert witness on police administration and maintains multiple professional certifications.

Currently, Dr. Stickle serves as a program evaluator or principal investigator on Bureau of Justice-funded grants totaling over $14 million, working with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Rutherford County Correctional Work Center, and others on projects addressing mental health responses, offender reentry, human trafficking, and crime statistics. He is leveraging these skills and experiences by teaching introduction and advanced grant writing courses to law enforcement agencies.

In addition to his academic and research activities, Dr. Stickle holds leadership roles as 1st Vice President of the Southern Criminal Justice Association, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Loss Prevention Research Council, and Senior Fellow for Criminal Justice at the Beacon Center of Tennessee. He integrates his expertise into innovative teaching, including developing experiential learning and applied research opportunities for students.

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• Distinguished Research Award, Middle Tennessee State University (2021)
• Faculty Initiate, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (2021)
• McGraw Hill Distinguished Scholar Award, Ethnographic & Qualitative Research Conference (2020)
• Stanford M. Lyman Distinguished Book Award for Metal Scrappers and Thieves: Scavenging for Survival and Profit, Mid-South Sociological Association (2019)
• Influential Faculty Member, Middle Tennessee State University (2018, 2019, 2022)
• Outstanding Faculty Award, Experiential Learning, Middle Tennessee State University (2018)
• Influential Faculty Member, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (2017)

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Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles  

• Sprick Schuster, S., Denney, A., & Stickle, B. (Online First). Measuring Prison Education Across States Development of a National Scoring System. Corrections: Policy, Practice and Research, X(X), X-X. https://doi.org/10.1080/23774657.2025.2533129 
• DeLisi, M., Stickle, B., Dooley, B. D. (Online First). Aristotle’s Prophecy: The Overlooked Importance of Forensic Mental Health to Criminology. American Journal of Criminal Justice, X(X), X-X. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12103-025-09837-4
• Stickle, B., Vose, B., & Miller, J. M. (Online First). A Video Data Analysis of Pet Theft Incidents: An Examination of Offense Form, Situational Dynamics, & Offender Characteristics. Deviant Behavior, X(X), X-X. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2024.2378111  
• Stickle, B., Begum, P., & Smith, C. (2024). Human Trafficking Hotline Analysis: Insights from the State of Tennessee. Victims & Offenders, 19(8), 1492-1511. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2024.2341891
• Stickle, B., Denney, A., & Fritts*, S. (2024). Rural Jail Reentry Non-Clinical Case Management: An Examination of the Middle Tennessee Rural Reentry (MTRR) Program. Justice Evaluation Journal, 7(2), 231-249. https://doi.org/10.1080/24751979.2024.2337445
• Stickle, B. (Online First). Crime Sharing: How the Sharing Economy may Impact Crime Victims. Victims & Offenders, X(X), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2022.2159905
• Jossie, M., & Stickle, B. (2023). Oral History in Academic Criminal Justice: Reflections from ACJS “Triple Crown” Luminaries. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 35(3), 470-489. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2023.2182900
• Stickle, B., Rennhoff, A., Morris, C., Fritts, S. (2024). Catalytic Converter Theft: An Examination of the Elasticity of Crime. Crime Prevention and Community Safety, 26, 139-156. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41300-024-00207-6  
• Kruisbergen, E. W., Hass, M. B., Moolenaar, D. E. G., Van Es, L., Snijders, J. M. A., Houwing, L., & Stickle, B. (2024). The Pandemic as a Criminological Experiment: Crime in the Netherlands during 12 Months of COVID-19 Measures. European Journal of Criminology, 21(4), 556-582. https://doi.org/10.1177/14773708241226541  
• Ledford, L. S., Osborne, D. L., Edwards, B. D., & Stickle, B. (2023). Conservation Officer Perceptions of Stress Associated with Traditional Policing Duties. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 17, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/paac058  
• Stickle, B. & Sprick Schuster, S. (2023). Are Schools in Prison Worth It? The Effects and Economic Returns to Prison Education. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 48(6), 1263-1294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-023-09747-3
• Miller, J. M., Jennings, W. G., Vose, B., Miller, H. V., Miller, B. L., Stickle, B., Koskinen*, S. M., & Jossie*, M. L. (2022). Marijuana Enforcement Since Drug Policy Reform: An Exploration of Officer Discretion in Six States. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 47(4), 697-711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-022-09704-6  
• Stickle, B., Kulig, T., Creel*, S., Meyer*, K., Maynard*, B., & Jeanes*, G. (2022). Human Trafficking Awareness and Reporting: Insights from Tennessee Police Websites and Social Media. Policing: An International Journal, 45(6), 1051-1063. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-04-2022-0064  
• Hicks, M., Stickle, B., Harms, J. (2022). Assessing the Fear of Package Theft. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 47(1), 399-420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-020-09600-x  
• Stickle, B. (2021). A High Note: Drug Misuse in Popular Rap Music. Substance Use & Misuse, 56(10), 1448-1456. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2021.1936046  
• Gross, S., & Stickle, B. (2021). Policies on Consensual Sexual Activity in State Prisons. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 32(5), 546-561. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403420924097 
• Ledford, L. S., Osborne, D. L., Edwards, B. D., & Stickle, B. (2021). Not Just a Walk in the Woods? Exploring the Impact of Individual Characteristics and Changing Job Roles on Stress among Conservation Officers. Police Practice & Research: An International Journal, 22(1), 274-289. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2020.1821682  
• Stickle, B., & Felson, M. (2020). Crime Rates in a Pandemic: The Largest Criminological Experiment in History. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(4), 525-536. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-020-09546-0
• Stickle, B., Hicks, M., Stickle, A., & Hutchinson, Z. (2020). Porch Pirates: Examining Unattended Package Theft Through Crime Script Analysis. Criminal Justice Studies, 33(2), 79-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/1478601X.2019.1709780 
• Vermeer, S., Stickle, B., Frame, M., & Hein, M. (2020). Reasons and Barriers for Choosing Police Careers. Policing: An International Journal, 43(5), 817-830. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-05-2020-0074  
• Stickle, B. (2017). Does the Use of Physical Force During Contact with the Police Affect One’s Perception of Procedural Justice? Journal of Behavioral and Social Sciences, 14(2), 87-97.  
• Stickle, B. (2016). A National Examination of the Effect of Education, Training, and Pre-Employment Screening on Law Enforcement Use of Force. Justice Policy Journal, 13(1), 1-15.   Stickle, B. (2015). Examining Public Willingness-to-pay for Burglary Prevention. Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal, 17(2), 120-138. https://doi.org/10.1057/cpcs.2015.3  
• Stickle, B. & Tewksbury, R. (2015). Messages in the Music: A Lyrical Analysis of Rap, Country, Pop, and Christian Music. Contemporary Journal of Anthropology and Sociology, 5(1-2), 6-21.

Books  

• Stickle, B. (Ed.). (2022). Field Studies in Environmental Criminology. London: Routledge.
• Eterno, J. A., Stickle, B., Peterson, D. S., & Das, D. K. (Eds.). (2021). Police Behavior, Hiring, and Crime Fighting: An International View. London: Routledge.
• Stickle, B. (2017). Metal Scrappers and Thieves: Scavenging for Survival and Profit. Basingstoke, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Recipient of the Stanford M. Lyman Distinguished Book Award, Mid-South Sociological Association (2019)

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Media Engagements and Public Contributions

Dr. Ben Stickle is a sought-after expert in criminal justice, regularly featured in major national and international media outlets to provide insights on emerging crime trends, package theft, and crime prevention strategies. His expertise has been highlighted in leading platforms such as Good Morning America (four appearances), CTV News, The New York Times, NBC Investigative Reporting, CBC News, and CBS News. Dr. Stickle has also contributed to specialized discussions through podcasts, webinars, and expert panels, including collaborations with the Loss Prevention Research Council, and ASIS International. With over 200 media appearances and features, Dr. Stickle continues to influence public understanding of contemporary criminal justice issues and remains a trusted voice for journalists and media professionals seeking authoritative commentary.

Select Media Features and Contributions

• Major Media Appearances: The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, CTV News, The Washington Post
• Expert Commentary: National Public Radio (NPR), Popular Mechanics, USA Today, The Guardian, Associated Press
• Specialized Media Contributions: Webinars and podcasts with the Loss Prevention Research Council, and Copper Alliance
• Topics Covered: Package theft, metal theft, policing, crime prevention strategies, and retail crime solutions

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Scholarship & Research

• Co-Primary Investigator for Tennessee Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy Curriculum Project, (2025-Present)
• Primary Investigator for Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s: Tennessee’s Human Trafficking Task Force Initiative, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, funded at $2,000,000 (2024–Present)
• Primary Researcher & Co-Director for Rutherford County Sheriff Office; Virtual Reality De-escalation Site-Based Initiative: U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, requested at $685,730 (2023-Present)
• Primary Investigator for Tennessee Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) Job Task Analysis: Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, funded at $160,000 (2023–2024)
• Subject Matter Expert of Tennessee Bureau of Investigation: Officer Recruitment and Retention: TBI Diversity Targeted Outreach Initiative: U.S. Department of Justice: Community Oriented Policing Services: Community Policing Development Microgrants Program, funded at $175,000 (2022-2023)  
• Co-Primary Investigator for Survey of Package Thieves, Middle Tennessee State University, funded at $4,000 (2022)  
• Primary Investigator for Tennessee Bureau of Investigation & Tennessee’s Statistical Analysis Center’s: Core Capacity Building Project, U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics: State Justice Statistics Program of Statistical Analysis Centers, 2021, funding at $80,416 (2021-Present)  
• Primary Investigator for Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s: Tennessee’s Human Trafficking Task Force Initiative, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance: Enhanced Collaborative Model (EMC) Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking: Supporting Law Enforcement’s Role, funded at $800,000 (2020–Present)  
• Primary Investigator for Tennessee Bureau of Investigation & Tennessee Statistical Analysis Center: Increasing Access to and Quality of Criminal Justice Data in Tennessee, U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics: State Justice Statistics Program of Statistical Analysis Centers, 2020, funded at $79,180 (2020-2022)  

Program Evaluation & Scientific Concultant

• Co-Program Evaluator for Rutherford County (TN) Correctional Work Center: Re-Entry Career Training, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act, Category 2: Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes, funded at $900,000 with Vickie Harden (2022–Present)  
• Co-Program Evaluator for Rutherford County (TN) Correctional Work Center: Keeping Family Connections, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act: Addressing the Needs of Incarcerated Parents and Their Minor Children, funded at $617,748 with Vickie Harden (2019-2022)  
• Program Evaluator for Middle Tennessee Rural Reentry: Comprehensive Community-Based Adult Reentry Program, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance: Second Chance Comprehensive Community-based Adult Reentry Program, funded at $500,000. (2018–2021)

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