Areas of Expertise
Policing, Violence & Homicide, Crime Analysis, Females in the Criminal Justice System
Education
Ph.D. Sociology (Crime and Deviance Concentration)
University of Central Florida
August 2010
Graduate Certificate in Crime Analysis/ArcGIS
University of Central Florida
December 2009
M.S. Criminal Justice (Policing Emphasis)
University of South Carolina
August 2004
B.S. Sociology (Criminal Justice Emphasis)
Lander University
December 2002
Biography
I am originally from South Carolina and attended my bachelors and masters degree programs there, as well as working in the field as a law enforcement officer for two years. After working in law enforcement, my husband and I picked up and moved to Florida so I could attend the PhD program in Sociology at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Go Knights!
After my PhD, I worked as an assistant professor at Georgia Southern University for two years before returning back "home" to Florida to accept a position at UNF.
I love teaching (most of the time). I also love doing policing research, violence research, and research on females in the criminal justice system. In my spare time, should I have any, I like to hang out with my husband and my two sweet little girls and go to the beach.
Awards
Provost Fellowship recipient, University of Central Florida. 2007, 2008
Departmental Teaching Assistantship recipient, Department of Sociology, University of Central Florida. 2008, 2009, 2010
Departmental Research Assistantship recipient, Department of Sociology, University of Central Florida. 2007, 2008
Departmental Research and Teaching Assistantship recipient, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of South Carolina. 2003, 2004
Affiliations
American Society of Criminology
Homicide Research Working Group
Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
Southern Criminal Justice Association
Alpha Kappa Delta, International Sociology Honor Society
Grants and Contracts Awarded
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Smart Policing Initiative: FY2011 Competitive Grant, Total Grant Amount: $262,551.56/Amount for Subcontractor Evaluation Fee: $38,450, 2011
Publications & Presentations
Publications:
• Covington, M.W. and Libby, N. (Forthcoming). Trust and Transparency in Policing, Proceedings of the Futures Working Group.
• Covington, M.W. (Forthcoming). Book Review: Policing Cybercrime. Criminal Justice Review.
• Tewksbury, R., Mustaine, E.E., & Covington, M.W. (2010). Offender Presence, Available Victims, Social Disorganization and Sex Offense Rates. American Journal of Criminal Justice 24(1/2): 1-14.
• Covington, M.W. and Jasinski, J.L. (2009). Incarcerated Adult and Juvenile Females: Special Issues to Consider. In Roslyn Muraskin (Ed.), Key Correctional Issues (2nd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
• Pelfrey, W.V. & Covington, M.W. (2007). Deaths in Custody: The Utility of Data Collected from
County Coroners. Criminal Justice Studies 20(1): 65-78.
• Pelfrey, W.V. & (Covington) White, M. (2004). South Carolina Deaths in Custody: Final Report of Research. Columbia, SC: South Carolina Department of Public Safety Office of Safety and Grants.
Presentations:
• Covington, M.W. Lethal Assaults against Police Officers (2000-2005): A Descriptive Analysis Poster presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 2008
• Covington, M.W. & Jasinski, J.L. You’re Not Welcome Here: The Efficacy of Residency Restrictions for Sexual Predators
Poster presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference,
St. Louis, Missouri, November 2008
• Covington, M.W. Self-Reported Victimizations of Orlando Police Officers
Paper presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, March 2009
• Covington, M. W. Violence Against Police Officers in Orlando: A Geographic Representation
Poster presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 2009
• Mustaine, E.E., Tewksbury, R., & Covington, M.W. Offender Presence, Available Victims, Social Disorganization and Sex Offense Rates
Poster presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 2009
• Covington, M.W. Violence against Police Officers: A Criminal Event Analysis
Paper presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, March 2010
• Covington, M.W. Correlates of Violence against Police Officers in Orlando
Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, San Francisco, California, November 2010
• Covington, M.W. Exploring the Link between Alcohol & Violence against Police Officers
Poster presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Washington, DC, November 2011
