Dr. Eleanor Gittens
BA, M.Sc., PhD
Professor, Honours Bachelor of Police Studies
Biography
Dr. Eleanor Gittens joined Georgian College in 2014 as a professor in the Honours Bachelor of Police Studies degree program within the Community Safety academic area. She has taught courses in Contemporary Social Movements, Psychology for Policing, Research Methods for Policing, Community Policing, Cybercrime, Mental Health Issues in Policing and Cross-Cultural Communications.
Dr. Gittens spearheads student-based research with various community partners. She has carried out research on the spatial behaviour of offenders, criminal careers, and violent offences and offenders. Her current research interests lie in diversity training, diversity hiring, the development of criminal behaviour and the progression of the criminal career, evidence-based policing, and community policing. She takes pleasure in working closely with other program areas and values the ability to collaborate.
Dr. Gittens is an active member of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) and belongs to the Criminal Justice Psychology and Black Psychology sections. She was recently acclaimed in to the CPA Board of Directors as the Director Representing Education. Since then, has been elected President – Elect, 2023-24. She’s a member of the Human Rights and Social Justice Committee and the Education and Training Committee, and supports advocacy and activism.
At one point in my career, I wanted to be a profiler, then a police officer, but I switched paths to academics. Working at Georgian College has a provided me with the unique opportunity to work with potential police officers, as well as conduct research with current police officers and their respective services. I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities that have arisen, and I look forward to many more.
Dr. Eleanor Gittens
Additionally, I have found great joy in facilitating learning in the classroom and have made connections for life. My students are all absolutely brilliant, shining in different ways and isn’t that what life is really about – acknowledging and celebrating our differences as we seek to grow? I hope that I’ve been able to foster a growth mindset in all of my students and I wish them nothing but the best as they go forward to seek their future careers.
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool England, UK, 2012
- Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Investigative Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool England, UK, 2005
- Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology with a minor Mathematics, McMaster University, Hamilton ON, 1998
- Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
- Canadian Society of Evidence-Based Policing (Can-SEBP)
- International Association of Forensic Criminologists (IAFC)
- International Association of Investigative Psychologists (IAIP)
- President – Elect of the Canadian Psychological Association (2023-24)
- Director Representing Education of the Canadian Psychological Association (2022-23)
- Chair and Member of the Georgian College Research Ethics Board (2014-22)
- Teaching Excellence Award (2021)
- Teaching Practice Credential (2017)
- First undergraduate student – professor publication (2022)
- Co-editor of the Canadian Framework for Collaborative Police Response on Sexual Violence
- Deputation to Council: Anti-Fraud Campaign in Orillia
- Lock it or Lose it campaign with Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the City of Orillia
- Research Lead of the social sciences and humanities departments – Georgian College (2015-18)
- Rotating Co-chair of the Research Advisory Council – Georgian College (2015-18)
Research interests
- Diversity training and diversity hiring
- Criminal career development and progression
- Evidence-based policing
- Community policing
- Violent offenders and offences
- Sexual offenders and offences
- The spatial behaviour of criminals
- Mental issues in policing and the community
Research projects
- Faculties’ understanding, perceptions, and attitudes of academic integrity at the college: A Case Study
- Role: Principal Investigator
- Funding amount: $8,000
- Funded by: Research Innovation and Scholarship
- The Use of Twitter as a Community Policing Tool
- Role: Principal Investigator
- Partner: Toronto Police Service
- Police Calls for Service to Long Term Care Facilities: A Case Study
- Role: Principal Investigator
- Partner: Ontario Provincial Police; North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integrated Network
- The Geographical Indicators of Graffiti Offending: An Orillia Case Study
- Role: Principal Investigator
- Partner: Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)
Featured publications
- Gittens, E. (2022). The Investigative Psychologist. Psynopsis, 44(3), 12-13.
- Berriault, B., Frazer, B., & Gittens, E. (2022) Media Portrayal of Police Suicides. International Journal of Thesis Projects and Dissertations, 10(2), 6-15. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6511178
- Gittens, E., & Fusco, N. (2020). Policing, Psychology, and Systemic Racism. Psynopsis, 42(4), 6-7.
- Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. (2019). Canadian Framework for Collaborative Police Response on Sexual Violence. S. Dimech, E. Gittens, & G. Beausoleil (Eds).
- Gittens, E. M., & Whitfield, K. (2017). Behavioural Assessment in Investigative Psychology. In Browne, K. D., Beech, A. R., Craig, L. A., & Chou, S. (Eds): Assessments in Forensic Practice (pp. 122-135). Wiley Blackwell.