Dr. Thomas Leasor

Executive Director

Dr. Leasor assumed the role of Executive Director at the Eastern Missouri Police Academy in January 2015 and currently oversees the training of police recruit officers and continued education courses for current police officers, including courses he created such as Instructor Development and First Line Supervision. Continued education courses at the Academy have been attended by law enforcement officers from across the country, and from as far away as Canada and the Virgin Islands. Additionally, Dr. Leasor oversees the training and licensing of all security officers in St. Charles County. Dr. Leasor is also a Subject Matter Expert for the Missouri Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission.

Prior to his retirement in 2015, Dr. Leasor attained the rank of Patrol Division lieutenant for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Union, MO. While serving the citizens of Franklin County, Dr. Leasor assisted in the development of the public relations unit and was assigned to SWAT as a negotiator, entry team member, eventually becoming the SWAT commander. Also, as a Patrol Division sergeant, Dr. Leasor obtained grant funding to create the Traffic Safety/DWI Unit for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, making it the first multi-deputy traffic unit in Franklin County. Under his direction the first sobriety checkpoints in Franklin County were also initiated, along with numerous other grant funded traffic enforcement projects. Dr. Leasor received the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Deputy of the Year Award in 2002 and 2003. He also received the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Supervisor of the Year Award as a sergeant in 2008 and as a lieutenant in 2013. Dr. Leasor still maintains an active police commission serving as a Reserve Patrolman for the City of Lake St. Louis.

He began his law enforcement career as a Reserve Patrol Officer for the City of Sullivan, MO in 1990, transitioning to a full-time position in 1991. While serving the residents of Sullivan he was a traffic crash investigator, D.A.R.E. officer, and field training officer. Dr. Leasor left the Sullivan Police Department for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in 1997 where he served until 2015. From 2011 to 2015 Dr. Leasor served as the mayor for the City of Sullivan, along with serving as an alderman from 2008 through 2011.

Dr. Leasor has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Lindenwood University. He began teaching as an adjunct graduate professor in 2010 and has taught multiple courses in the program since. Dr. Leasor serves on the Criminal Justice Advisory Board and works with the University as a Curriculum Advisor and has written and developed several courses. Additionally, Dr. Leasor has taught Policing in America to undergraduate students since the fall of 2018.

Dr. Leasor earned his Doctoral Degree in Higher Education Administration Leadership from Maryville University where he researched whether or not chief law enforcement administrators of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision were receiving the resources they need to prepare for acts of terrorism or violence at their respective football stadiums. Dr. Leasor’s research was published in the 2017 July/August issue of Campus Law Enforcement Journal.

Currently, Dr. Leasor is one of the founding board members of the Eastern Missouri Peer Support Council, an organization that provides resources and training to police officers and organizations in the region.