Charles B. DeWitt, is an American government official who served at the

White House Office The White House Office is an entity within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The White House Office is headed by the White House chief of staff, who is also the head of the Executive Office of the President. The s ...

and the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

. DeWitt served as Director of the

National Institute of Justice The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice. NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Juvenil ...

from 1990 to 1993.

Education

A native of California, DeWitt studied

criminology Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and is a graduate of

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. He rose from deputy

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

to Director of the Justice Division for

Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...

, leaving his post in 1984 to become a Fellow at the Department of Justice, where he was responsible for corrections and law enforcement programs.

Career

White House

DeWitt was assigned by the Department of Justice to the White House, where he was responsible for a classified task force report on border security to enhance coordination between domestic policy and national security agencies. He was appointed by the White House to serve as Director of Border Security. DeWitt also worked with the

United States Domestic Policy Council The Domestic Policy Council (DPC) is the principal forum used by the president of the United States for the consideration of domestic policy matters and senior policymaking, Cabinet, and White House officials. The Council is part of the Office o ...

, and reviewed the

Office of National Drug Control Policy The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is a component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. The Director of the ONDCP, colloquially known as the Drug Czar, heads the office. "Drug Czar" was a term first used ...

. While at the White House, he coordinated policy issues with the Departments of Justice, Treasury, and Defense, as well as the intelligence community.

National Institute of Justice

DeWitt was nominated by the President in 1990 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become Director of the National Institute of Justice. He approved hundreds of grants to law enforcement agencies to demonstrate innovations in policing that are operational today. Programs to strengthen the nation’s justice system included joint efforts with the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

and interagency agreements with DHS Science and Technology Directorate to foster new technologies, communications, and information systems. He was authorized by Congress to provide technical support and Federal funding to law enforcement agencies, manage crime prevention programs, and develop law enforcement technology and improvements to the Nation’s justice system. The Director advises the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, and exercises sole and final authority over Federal grants and contracts for more than 500 active projects. DeWitt was responsible for national publications and conferences of the DOJ. DeWitt developed and authorized many policy and technology projects still underway at the Department of Justice. Also in this position, he developed and executed reorganization plan, including new Technology and Evaluation Divisions, and established initiatives on corrections, gangs; counterterrorism; information systems for police; DNA fingerprinting and evidence systems; police use of force; environmental crime; non-lethal weapons; stalking; and white collar crime. He also created and managed national plan to implement community policing.

Personal life

DeWitt currently works as a

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

management consultant for public safety and national security agencies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DeWitt, Charles B Living people 1950 births Stanford University alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford Alumni of the University of Cambridge American deputy sheriffs People from Chevy Chase, Maryland People from Santa Clara County, California