Dr. Mark A. Lahr is a highly respected public servant with over 38 years of experience in public safety, higher education, and law enforcement training, both as a practitioner and an instructor. He has provided training in officer safety programs to law enforcement officials at local, state, and federal levels, nationally and internationally. After retiring, Mark served as an associate professor at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, where he taught courses on law enforcement and homeland security issues. He currently holds a position in a specialized unit within the state’s top law enforcement agency.
Beyond the Badge
Cutting Edge Training Tactics for Modern Law Enforcement
by Dr. Mark A. Lahr, PhD

Beyond the Badge
Cutting Edge Training Tactics for Modern Law Enforcement
by Dr. Mark A. Lahr, PhD
Published Apr 26, 2025
278 Pages
Genre: POLITICAL SCIENCE / Law Enforcement
Book Details
“Innovative, practical, and forward-thinking. This book reshapes how we prepare officers for today’s policing challenges.”
Beyond the Badge explores various creative training methodologies intended to work together to enhance the effectiveness and relevance of training within law enforcement. Each chapter presents different concepts that offer varied yet realistic scenarios, highlighting similar realities where real-world complexities are presented to participants for interaction. Enhanced reality technologies enable officers to practice decision-making, critical thinking, and situational awareness in a safe environment, while AI provides personalization and adaptability previously unavailable in training programs. Law enforcement agencies must invest in these transformative strategies while improving service delivery, setting a higher standard for preparing officers and their responses to current demands and future challenges.