Erik Fritsvold, PhD

Erik Fritsvold serves as the Academic Director for the Master of Science in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership program. He was the founding faculty member for the program and part of the team that shepherded it from concept through launch – a process that included three years of research and collaboration with law enforcement. Prof. Fritsvold personally directs all aspects of program academics, including curriculum, faculty, admissions, accreditation, and any issues related to students.

Prof. Fritsvold’s primary expertise is applying core tenets of academic criminology and criminal justice to dynamic, modern-day law enforcement. The cutting-edge nature of the Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership program requires Prof. Fritsvold to be meaningfully engaged with an array of academic and practitioner-centric specialties including leadership, organizational theory, Constitutional Law, communications, data-driven and intelligence-led policing, law enforcement and criminal justice policy, conflict resolution, and law enforcement best practices broadly.

Prof. Fritsvold has been a full-time faculty member at USD in various capacities since 2005. He formerly served as an Associate Professor of Sociology in the Crime, Justice, Law Society Concentration, teaching an array of undergraduate courses in sociology, criminology, and criminal justice. He has also served as both a Department Chair and Interim Associate Dean in the College of Arts Sciences. In 2013, Prof. Fritsvold was recognized by Princeton Review as one of America’s Best 300 Professors in a book by the same name.

Prof. Fritsvold also serves as a faculty member for the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Command College and regularly teaches in the San Diego County Regional Leadership Institute.

Erik earned his BA in Sociology from the University of San Diego in 2000, and his MA and PhD from the Criminology, Law and Society Department at the University of California at Irvine in 2003 and 2006 respectively.

Student Reviews

"Professor Fritsvold was a beneficial asset to my learning and development throughout this course and everything that I learned will follow me for the rest of the LEPSL program. His constructive feedback and positive notations encouraged me to improve my assignments and set the bar of excellence."

-Summer '24 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold, is the director of the LEPSL program and it is clear USD made a great choice when choosing him. He puts forth the effort to engage everyone whether on the DBs or feedback. His mix of voice and written feedback is great. It makes the learning experience personal and provides confidence and encouragement to me. I don't see myself as an academic, so when Dr. Fritsvold lets me know he thought something was good or could use improvement, I take it as a confidence boost and appreciate his candidness. He has helped me become more articulate in my writing throughout the courses I have had him as a professor. He has made a forever impact."

-Summer '24 Student
"I appreciated Professor Fritsvold's feedback and insight. He repeatedly mentioned that he is an "outsider looking in" and may not have the same experience, yet he is certainly an expert in many areas of law enforcement. His perspective is invaluable."

-Summer '24 Student
"Professor Fritsvold is an amazing instructor. I didn’t know what to expect in my first course, but he made me feel welcomed and engaged right from the start. His clear explanations, practical examples, and approachable teaching style really helped me grasp the material. I felt supported and encouraged throughout the course, which made the learning experience enjoyable and valuable."

-Summer '24 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold was exceptional. A consummate professional who really honored the topic and the students, I was super impressed. Makes me feel like I chose the right program knowing that he is in charge!"

-Fall '23 Student
"Professor Fritsvold is approachable, knowledgeable, and professional. He is always willing to help. He goes above and beyond for his students."

-Fall '23 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold has always been a excellent instructor, and offers great interaction with students in the discussion boards. His commitment to students and the program is clearly evident."

-Spring '23 Student
"Dr. Erik D. Fritsvold has done an amazing job of putting the LEPSL program together. In addition to heading the program, he has done a great job teaching it, which is impressive to perform so well in multiple duties. Thank you, professor, for your help through this program and for what you have done for law enforcement. Many talk about how law enforcement should improve, but he is making it happen through education and enlightening not only current leaders but our future leaders. Thank you."

-Fall '22 Student
"Great instructor! He worked with me on late assignment because he understands our life as LE officers. Very humble person as well. I met him in person and you are lucky to have him running the program!"

-Fall '22 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold is still my favorite professor. His critiques are spot on and have made me a better writer. His activity on the discussion boards always motivates the group to dig deeper. I have enjoyed his courses most thus far."

-Fall '22 Student
"This was the second time I've had the pleasure of having Professor Fritsvold lead a LEPSL course I've taken. He is an amazing instructor and I appreciate his insight, knowledge, and leadership. Professor Fritsvold is a huge reason for the overall success of the LEPSL program."

-Fall '22 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold has been unbelievably responsive, engaging and fair. I know all the other things piled on his plate, but he kept up with the many duties of the course. I was very surprised to see my assignments graded within a timely matter, with appropriate constructive comments on how to enhance the assignment."

-Fall '22 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold is a positive person who gets people (like me) excited about the topic and engaged in the course material. I, truly, appreciate being around professors who are genuine and committed to their work. I will miss Dr. Fritsvold's "can do" attitude and his ability to recap what was said in his interviews with others concisely. Most of all, I cannot say enough about Dr. Fritsvold's leadership style, which is simple yet effective - clearly telling us students what is expected."

-Fall '22 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold is the best professor I have ever had. I said it before and I'll say it again. The amount of time, effort, and care that he puts into leading, developing, and teaching in this program are second to none."

-Summer '22 Student
Dr. Fritsvold is extremely involved in the discussion board, which really advances my learning and perspective. Further, he is prompt at grading our papers, which provided me with the ability to progressively do better on my next assignment. I am eager for feedback, so I am grateful when it is returned as exigently as he does and with the ample feedback that is given!"

-Summer '22 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold is a passionate, dedicated instructor. He is committed to the success of the program, as well as the individual student."

-Summer '22 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold provides excellent feedback from an academic lens, which I appreciate greatly. As a law enforcement executive, I frequently write emails and memos to others outside law enforcement. I have found the feedback from Dr. Fritsvold tremendously helpful in improving my writing for those types of audiences."

-Summer '22 Student
"I must admit that I was a bit fearful and intimidated at first when I learned Dr. Fritsvold would be our instructor. The professor was engaging, insightful and built my confidence that I could succeed in this course. Thanks to him, I am confident that I may be able to finish my master's. Something I didn't think would be possible intellectually. I'm eager to continue with my studies and build upon this and help me grow as a person, father, and law enforcement leader."

-Spring '22 Student
"Erik is as good as they come and is a true value-added to this program. While I'd be understandably leary of an academic in a LEPSL program, he's the perfect blend of academic, and student of the community he strives to serve."

-Spring '22 Student
"I deeply appreciate Professor Fritzvold's level of compassion and understanding during this course. Our agency was hit hard with an unexpected loss of one of our own as well as two OIS within three weeks. Professor Fritzvold expressed genuine concern and I am forever grateful."

-Spring '22 Student
"Dr. Erik Fritsvold was an effective communicator from day one. His announcements were timely, clear, and concise. He made himself available via email and offered live office hours on several occasions for the LEPSL students. He was actively involved in the discussions, and his feedback on the writing assignments was high quality and thorough. I look forward to the opportunity to take any other course taught by Dr. Fritsvold."

-Spring '22 Student
"Professor Fritsvold really takes this class to the next level. He commits to each persons learning and success by taking the time to provide valuable feedback. He also is heavily involved in the discussion boards, forcing everyone to think critically and with a variety of perspectives! Thank You!"

-Spring '22 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold was one of the best, if not best instructors that I have ever in the online academic setting. His feedback definitively helped me grow as a student and a professional. His grading was fair and I understand why every comment or point deduction was made. He was also always available to answer questions and provided just the feedback that was needed."

-Spring '22 Student
"Professor Fritsvold is professional, easy to communicate, understanding, and well prepared. Engagement online feels as if I have taken courses with him in a classroom, in person. Excellent course and program."

-Fall '21 Student
"The instructor has an amazing level of competency, his attentiveness to students needs and his interacting style when providing feedback and encouragement are all excellent qualities."

-Fall '21 Student
"I cannot thank Dr. Fritsvold enough for all he did to help me with this project. Going further than that, Dr. Fritsvold was a great mentor throughout the entire LEPSL program and I really enjoyed his feedback and suggestions. It was a pleasure to work with him in the classes he taught, and throughout the entire program. Thank you very much!!"

-Fall '21 Student
"I can't say enough about Professor Fritsvold. His role in leading this program is arguably why it is so successful and why it has attracted so many returning students from the law enforcement field. He's a consummate gentleman and academic."

-Fall '21 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold is absolutely fantastic. He is very thoughtful and very concerned about his students well-being and the overall course value and effectiveness. He is a very engaged and excellent professor. The students are lucky to be under his tutelage."

-Summer '20 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold is an excellent instructor. One of the best I have had over about 30 years of learning, from undergraduate to professional learning."

-Summer '20 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold is amazing, brilliant and insightful. He's also responsive and available. I tell my colleagues here that he's "the real deal". I appreciate that he took time to host virtual office hours. His evaluations of my work were spot on (even the criticisms) and he clearly took the time to read every submission and post, understand them and give feedback where appropriate. His efforts are noticed and appreciated."

-Summer '20 Student
"Dr. Fritsvold is truly incredible. I have been so overwhelmed by what has been happening across the country and unfortunately have not been able to get a lot of free time, and when I do I try to spend as much as I can with my family. Dr. Fritsvold took it upon himself to adjust the coursework to remove some of the strain we were all facing. I cannot say how much this meant to me, I was ready to accept I wouldn’t be able to complete the assignments and likely have to take the class again. By removing some of the demands, it allowed me to regroup and truly see how much Dr. Fritsvold and USD faculty care about me. This has been a challenging last 6 months, I have witnessed firsthand how Dr. Fritsvold has navigated the program and feel fortunate to learn from such an incredible leader. "

-Summer '20 Student
"Professor Fritsvold was always actively engaged with all students throughout the discussion board which always brought more substance to the discussions. It was nice to have a professor involved as much as Professor Fritsvold was. He also responded to all emails quickly and fully. The grading was always done in a fast manner and provided plenty of quality feedback to students to strengthen their assignment and their writing style."

-Summer '20 Student
"I was fortunate to have Erik Fritsvold as my section instructor. Although it has been over ten years since my last formal education, I cannot remember a more engaged instructor since my high school days in the late '70s and early '80s. His commentary in the discussion boards encouraged participation through thoughtful questions that showed he cared about what the authors were writing. His encouragement made me want to do better with each assignment."

-Summer '20 Student
"Professor Erik Fritsvold provided prompt feedback to questions and our discussions to include emails with relevant references. I found all the material to be relevant and fresh with current Law Enforcement issues. I couldn't be happier to have joined USD."

-Summer '19 Student
"Prof. Fritsvold is an absolute asset to USD and this program. He deeply cares about each students success and is engaged to make sure we are getting everything possible from the class experience. I am very pleased with my decision to enroll in this program and look forward to many more similar class experiences!!"

-Summer '19 Student
"Professor Fritsvold is an exceptional instructor and facilitator, and has done an outstanding job with the research, development and implementation of this entire program."

-Summer '19 Student
"Once again, it has been a pleasure to be a student in one of Professor Fritsvold's courses. I appreciate his timely and detailed feedback on coursework as well as his optimistic and enthusiastic attitude. His teaching style makes me try harder."

-Summer '19 Student
"It was a pleasure to finally have Professor Fritsvold as an instructor. Professor Fritsvold was always attentive to the student questions and his research background and insight contributed a great deal to our DB conversations."

-Summer '19 Student

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Erik Fritsvold, PhD