Instructor Biography

T. J. Geary

Major T. J. Geary serves as the Operations Bureau commander with the University of South Carolina (UofSC) Division of Law Enforcement and Safety (DLES) in Columbia, South Carolina, after having risen through the ranks in various supervisory, mid-level leadership, and command staff roles. He is directly responsible for the overall management of all operations bureau personnel and resources, including uniformed patrol, bike patrol, gang and drug investigations, field training functions, and the Crime Suppression Unit. Major Geary also oversees contract law enforcement and security services for the National Advocacy Center, a U.S. Department of Justice facility located on the UofSC campus that provides training to federal judges and prosecutors from across the United States. In his collateral duty role of rangemaster, he is responsible for managing all agency firearms-related activities including range operations, training activities and curriculum, and equipment approvals. Major Geary earned a graduate certificate in criminal justice education from the University of Virginia in 2012 and a master’s degree in criminal justice from UofSC in 2002. He is a graduate of the 251st Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy and the 58th Session of the Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police. He is also a 2018 graduate of the Crisis Leadership in Higher Education Program at Harvard University. Having served on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association in various vice president roles since 2017, he currently serves as president of the 7,000-member organization.