Dr. Henry L. Roubicek

Dr. Hank Roubicek, Professor of Communication, joined the University of Houston-Downtown in 1983. Prior to coming to UH-D, he taught communication at several universities, and consulted with a variety of law enforcement agencies as well as other organizations. He received his B.A. from Ohio State University, his M.A. from Purdue University, and his doctorate in Communication from the University of Maryland. He teaches a venue of courses: interviewing, training and development, intercultural communication, group dynamics, field research methods, and graduate classes in criminal justice and education.

He has worked with several major organizations in the area of communication skill-building. Specializing in communication skills for those in law enforcement, Dr. Roubicek has successfully garnered a reputation for productive, state-of-the-art training in areas such as tactical communication, interviewing and interrogation, courtroom testimony, crisis techniques, media presentation skills, and supervisory skills, to name a few. And after twenty five years of law enforcement training experience, his reputation is well-deserved.

He began by training narcotics officers how to stay safe when conducting investigations in the inner city schools, by introducing them to selected techniques designed to keep them secure and in control. His take-it-to-the-street position has been embraced by many law enforcement agencies, with the Houston Police Department (HPD) heading the list.

Training at the Houston Police Academy for several years, Dr. Roubicek has built an unparalleled communication curriculum. He teaches verbal tactics, interview and interrogation, death notification, and active listening. Along with a Harris County D.A., his two-day course in courtroom testimony is the envy of any academy nationwide. With a seasoned HPD profiler, he teaches a powerful two-day school on interview and deception. New courses in platform speaking and descriptive writing round off his comprehensive course list. These classes were, and continue to be, based on tireless research and consistent involvement in the field.

Beyond HPD, the number of agencies seeking Dr. Roubicek's training services is extensive and constantly growing. A partial list includes:

• Galveston County Sheriff's Department
• Bexar County Department of Corrections
• Metropolitan Transit Authority
• Terrace Security
• Solutions 2000
• US Attorney's Office
• Police departments in Amarillo, Conroe, Brenham, Lake Jackson, and Kemah, to name only a few.

He is also one of the select group of trainers responsible for training the Texas police Chiefs (and many of their command staffs) for the prestigious Law Enforcement Management Institute (LEMIT) located on the campus of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Tx.

A member of several international, national, and regional associations, Dr. Roubicek has presented numerous papers in the area of applied communication, and has authored textbooks and articles in that area. But whether his selected avenue be by speech or by print, field work or training, research or practice, his message is clear: police officers are professionals and must be trained accordingly.