William Ruefle

William Ruefle is an Instructor at the University of South Florida (USF) in St. Petersburg, specializing in criminology and criminal justice. Previously, he served on the faculty of the College of Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in political science/public policy from Florida State University.

His research focuses on crime and public policy, including crime in St. Petersburg, violent crime, gun control, drug policy, juvenile curfew ordinances, and criminal justice program evaluation. He has secured grants from the National Institute of Justice and local agencies, with publications in journals like Crime and Delinquency and the Journal of Crime and Justice.

Ruefle teaches courses on crime analysis, crime prevention, drugs and crime, and survey of criminal justice systems. He has received awards for teaching excellence (C. D. Mickey Award, 1984), international collaboration (Criminal Justice Exchange Program, 2000), and service (VIVA Award, 2009).

His work emphasizes policy evaluation, with a focus on curfew ordinances and their societal impacts. Grants and partnerships with criminal justice agencies underpin his applied research approach.