I am an associate professor of political science at Western Washington University in Bellingham, where I teach Comparative Politics, Latin American Political Development, and various courses on political and criminal violence. 

 

My research draws heavily on ethnographic methods of inquiry to examine the dynamics of policing regimes and criminal (or non-state) governance in Latin America. My most recent/current projects include an in-depth comparative analysis of community policing initiatives in Brazil, the organizational impact of high levels of violence on criminal order in Mexico, and vigilante mobilization in Mexico and Guatemala. 

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Please also check out my latest project, "Hotlands," a documentary short that explores the escalation of cartel violence in Michoacán, Mexico.