Wayne W. Schmidt
AELE Law Enforcement Legal Center
P.O. Box 75401
Chicago, IL 60675-5401 USA
(847) 685-0700
E-mail: wws@aele.org

• Mr. Schmidt does not accept private clients. AELE is not a law firm and this web page is not intended to be advertising.

Professional Activities:

• Consultant. Former chief executive officer of the AELE Law Enforcement Legal Center, a non-profit organization that provides legal research assistance to law enforcement and correctional administrators. It publishes periodicals since 1973 and offers law seminars since 1974. (Associate Director 1973-78, Executive Director and Supervising Attorney, 1978-2016).

 

• Authored or co-authored more than 100 “friend of the court” briefs in cases before the Supreme Court of the U.S., and more than 30 amicus briefs in other courts, since 1971.

 

• Editor of the Discipline & Employment Law section of the AELE Monthly Law Journal (2007-2011).

• Editor of the Fire, Police & Corrections Personnel Reporter, a monthly legal newsletter that digests employment law court decisions affecting public safety workers (1975-2011). More than 11,000 discipline and employment law case digests are online.

 

• Charter member, Professional Standards, Image and Ethics Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police; served as the Vice-Chair of the IACP Legislative Committee for two decades (1988-2008) and as chair of its Internal Affairs Subcommittee. Principal author of a model internal investigations procedure, “Peace Officers Bill of Rights Guarantees: Responding to Union Demands with a Management Sanctioned Version.”

 

• Annual presenter and legal consultant (since 1992) to the IACP Police Psychological Services Section; member of and presenter at the American Psychological Association (Division 18 - Police & Public Safety Psychological Services Section).

• Senior Legal Advisor to the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, headquartered in Springfield (since 1974) – including serving as co-chair of the Law Committee, Parliamentarian pro tem, special counsel, and amicus counsel. Recipient, Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

• Associate Editor, Law Enforcement Executive Forum, a scholarly journal published bimonthly by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training & Standards Board. Author of five Forum articles since 2003.

 

• Textbook co-author (with N.Y. Judge Julian Hanley) of Legal Aspects of Criminal Evidence (two editions, 1977, 1979); republished as Introduction to Criminal Evidence (1982) and as Introduction to Criminal Evidence and Court Procedure (seven editions, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2011). ISBN: 978-0-8211-0738-6.

 

• Since 1968, promoted the creation of police legal units. Authored the IACP’s Guidelines for Police Legal Units (1972) and documents with similar content published by the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, the Council of State Governments, the International City Management Association (Chapter in Local Government Police Management) the National Judicial College (Trial Judge’s Journal) and Ford Foundation/Northwestern University Graduate School of Law (Police Legal Advisor Training Program).

 

• Biographee (multiple years), Marquis Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Law.

 

• Was a member the Bars of the States of Illinois (1968), New Mexico (1966), New York (1982) and the District of Columbia (1970). Admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the U.S., U.S. Courts of Appeal in ten circuits, U.S. District Courts in D.C., N. Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, and the U.S. Tax Court.

 

• Taught at, and regularly attended annual meetings and seminars of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (since 1968) and the American Bar Association (since 1968). Has presented at seminars and/or annual meetings of the Association of American Law Schools, the FBI National Academy Associates, the National College of District Attorneys, the National District Attorneys’ Association, the National Institute of Municipal Law Officers (now IMLA), the National Sheriff’s Association, the Northwestern University Traffic Institute (now Public Safety Center), the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI, and police academies or associations of lawyers, prosecutors, chiefs of police, police psychologists, and/or sheriffs in 26 states and two Canadian provinces.

 

• Since 1973, represented AELE at international conferences of law enforcement representatives or lawyers in 20 cities in 14 foreign countries.

 

• Was the inaugural instructor for a new course in Fire Law, as an adjunct professor of Engineering/Fire Science at Oakton Community College (Niles/Des Plaines IL), 1978-79. Author, Fire Personnel Research Manual, a fire science curricula supplementary text (1978).

 

Educational Achievements:

• Washington University in St. Louis 1959-60 – College of Liberal Arts (now Arts & Sciences).

• London Metropolitan University, [then the City of London College of Law (1861-1970); later London Guildhall University] 1963 – Diploma First Class [Distinction and Merit] in English and Comparative Law, as a resident of Goodenough College, London, UK.

• University of New Mexico, 1960-64 – Bachelor of Arts in economics and government; Graduate School studies in economics and labor relations (1 semester); Law School (3 semesters).

• Oklahoma City University, 1964-66 – Juris Doctor, as a transfer student from U.N.M. Law School.

• Northwestern University Graduate School of Law, Chicago Campus.

 º Post-doctorate Ford Foundation Graduate Fellow, Police Legal Advisor Program, Certificate 1967-68.

 º Post-doctorate Master of Laws, 1974. LL.M. thesis was on police administrative rulemaking, published in the

        Journal of Police Science and Administration (Sept. 1974).

Recent Certifications:

 

• Certified Litigation Specialist, AELE (2007 and post).

 

• Excited Delirium and Sudden, In-Custody Deaths Instructor, IPICD 2010 & 2012.

 

Earlier Employment (1961-1973, ages 19-32):

 

• Special Deputy Sheriff, process-server and writ officer, part-time 1961-64 (ages 19-23) Albuquerque, NM.

• Senior Student Assistant, Dept. of Economics, Univ. of New Mexico, 1961-62 (part-time; graded midterm and final exams of Econ. 101 & 102 students).

• Bernalillo County Constable (elected official, 1962-64), Albuquerque, NM. (part-time, ages 21-23).

• Adjuster and Chief Investigator, Investigation and Adjustment Co., Oklahoma City, OK (1965-66). Casualty claim adjuster and fraud investigator.

• Special Constable (part-time), Nichols Hills District, Oklahoma County, OK (1965-66).

• U. S. Army (Infantry active duty training, Ft. Dix, NJ 1966-67). National Defense Service Medal.

• Intern Legal Advisor (half-time), Chicago Police Dept. (Intelligence Div., 1967-68).  [Served during the M. L. King riots and Democratic Nat’l Convention protests]. Later, I advised the CPD command during the litigation filed by the Alliance to End Repression.

• Legal Consultant to Chief of Police James F. Hilton (part-time), Gary, IN (1968-70); actively assisted internal investigations and the narcotics enforcement section.

• Operating Director, Police Legal Advisor Training Program at Northwestern University, Chicago, IL (1968-70). Using Ford Foundation grant funding, I established and/or reviewed new police legal advisor units in Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Michigan and Tennessee and also sponsored two annual educational programs for police legal units nationwide.

• Supervising Attorney and Director, Police Legal Center, International Association of Chiefs of Police, metro Washington, DC (1970-73). Created new legal publications, taught at IACP legal seminars and coordinated three annual educational programs for police legal advisors.

 

Living Family: My daughter Nancy lives in Scottsdale and is a certified psychological therapist.. Currently she is a behavioral health claims examiner for a first tier heath carrier. My son Andrew is a digital marketing executive; his wife Jen and their children Cecilia and Jeremy Schmidt, live in Phoenix. My sister Nancy is widowed, is a retired chemist, and lives in Eagle, Colo.

 

Deceased Family: My father Warren (served 23 years) and paternal grandfather Walter (served 19 years) were police officers/detectives in St. Louis, Mo. The Schmidts moved to Albuquerque in 1960 and Warren became a real estate investor. My mother Geneva was a prominent residential real estate agent. My maternal grandfather George Walker owned a small farm and a local dairy near Poplar Bluff, Mo. His son, my maternal uncle, George Walker was a Navy pilot and flight instructor during WWII; later, he became a lawyer and real estate developer in Albuquerque.