History
of Alpha Phi Sigma
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In September 1941, Dr. V.A. Leonard was asked by the President of Washington State University if he would accept the directorship of a Police Science Academic Program at Washington State. Dr. Leonard accepted the offer and assumed responsibility for developing a four-year curriculum that would lead to a Bachelor’s Degree in Police Administration.
Upon his arrival to Washington State, Dr. Leonard recognized the need for a police honorary to promote excellence in student scholarship and performance. In January 1942, Dr. Leonard met with seventeen Police Science majors at Washington State and established Alpha Phi Sigma.
During its initial years, Alpha Phi Sigma experienced only limited growth, but on March 24, 1976 in Dallas, Texas, the Executive Board of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences voted unanimously to designate Alpha Phi Sigma as the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. At that time, Alpha Phi Sigma had 14 chapters, however, since then, Alpha Phi Sigma has continued to grow and prosper at a very rapid rate and there are now over two hundred chapters.
The Delta Phi Sigma Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma was established in 1998 at The College of New Jersey by three students – Melissa DeBartolo, Steve Troyano, and Eric Lawson – with the assistance of Dr. John Krimmel, who served as the group’s faculty advisor for the first two years of its existence, and Dr. Robert McCormack, who funded the establishment of the organization when he was the Chair of what was then called the Department of Law and Justice (now the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies).
Site created and maintained Peter J. Morreale
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