Logan Somers – Assistant Professor

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Biography

Logan J. Somers is an Assistant Professor in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at Georgia Southern University. He earned his Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University in 2021. 

His research focuses largely on emerging issues within policing such as officer work experience, police use of force, officer mindset (i.e., perceptions of danger), and evidence-based policing. This work can be seen in the Criminal Justice and Behavior, Police Quarterly, Criminal Justice and Policy Review, Policing and Society, Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, and Behavioral Sciences and the Law among others.

Education

Ph.D., Criminology and Criminal Justice (2021) Arizona State University

M.S., Criminology and Criminal Justice (2016) Arizona State University

B.S., Justice Studies (2014) Westminster College

Teaching Interests

Policing, CJ Systems and Policy, Research Methods

Published Research

Somers, Logan J., & Terrill, William. (Accepted). Assessing the relationship between officers’
broad cultural attitudes and their situational perceptions of firearm danger. Policing: An
International Journal.

Terrill, William, Zimmerman, Laura, & Somers, Logan J. (Online first). Applying video-based
systematic social observation to police use of force encounters: An assessment of de-
escalation and escalation within the context of proportionality and incrementalism. Justice
Quarterly, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2023.2222819

Somers, Logan J., & Foster, Jacob T. (Online first). Going above and beyond: Assessing the
characteristics of officers who complete additional in-service training. Police Practice and
Research: An International Journal, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2022.2152028

Somers, Logan J. (2023). Towards a better understanding of police experience: An assessment of
the unique shifts, crime areas, and duty assignments that officers have worked, The Police
Journal, 96(2), 212-229. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X211064710

Terrill, William & Somers, Logan J. (2023). Viewing firearm danger through the lens of police
officers. Homicide Studies, 27(1), 55-76. https://doi.org/10.1177/10887679221108329

Somers, Logan J., & Terrill, William. (2022). Confidence in their craft: An assessment of the
relationship between officer work experiences and their perceptions of self-efficacy,
Criminal Justice & Behavior, 49(11), 1656-1675.
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F00938548221105879

Somers, Logan J., & Terrill, William. (2022). Examining the relationship between the unique
work experiences and cultural orientations of police officers, Criminal Justice Studies, 35(2),
182-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/1478601X.2021.2019032

Paoline, Eugene A., William, Terrill, & Somers, Logan J. (2021). Police officer use of force
mindset and street-level behavior. Police Quarterly, 24(4), 547-577.
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F10986111211025523

Last updated: 7/31/2023