Dr. Billy Close is currently an Assistant Professor and Director of Service Learning and Mentoring in the College of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Florida State University. His current research interests include Racial and Ethnic Differences in Traffic Stops and Driver Treatment, as well as the general areas of Theory & Dynamics of Minority Criminality, Race, Sports & Crime, Mentoring Strategies for African-American Youth, Ethnicity and Methodology, Black Crimmythology, Conflict Reduction, and Multiculturalism. Dr. Close is married to Fran T. Close, Ph.D. who is currently an Associate Professor in the Institute of Public Health and the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Florida A&M University. They have three daughters, Nia Sekayi, Nataki Adia and Nyla Imani.
Theory and Dynamics of Racism and Crime | Ethnicity and Methodology | Juvenile Justice | Minority Over-Representation | Race, Crime, and Sports | Racial Profiling and Biased Policing | Mentoring Black Males
Ph.D. 1997, Florida State University; Criminology and Criminal Justice
M.S. 1992, Florida State University; Criminology
Dual B.S. 1988, Florida State University; Criminology, Psychology with a minor in Black Studies
Williams, Brian N.; Close, Billy R.; and Kang, Seong C. 2016. “Out of the Recent Darkness and into the New Light: Managerial Implications Emerging from the Martin- Zimmerman Encounter” Journal of Public Management & Social Policy: Vol. 23: No. 1, Article 2.
Close, Billy R. 2011. “Perceptions of Disproportionate Minority Contact: An Assessment of Risk Factors Impacting Delinquency among Young Black Males in Duval County, Florida” Study and Technical Report for Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice and 21st Century Research and Evaluation.
Williams, Brian and Billy R. Close. 2008. “Perceptions of Bias-Based Policing: Implications for Police Policy and Practice” Racial Divide: Racial and Ethnic Bias in Criminal Justice.
Close, Billy R. and Mason, Patrick Leon. 2007. “Searching for Efficient Enforcement: Officer Characteristics and Racially Biased Policing” Review of Law & Economics: Vol. 3: No. 2, Article 5.
Close, Billy R. 2007. “Bridging the Gap Between Diversity and Social Justice: Personal, Professional and Pedagogical Insights from Courses on Race, Diversity and Crime” Letters from the Future: Linking Students and Teachers with the Diversity of Everyday Life.