Michael Wood Jr.

Michael Anthony Wood Junior was born in 1979 in Baltimore, Maryland, to parents Michael Anthony Wood and Gina Louise Schillfarth. Wood Jr. grew up and attended a variety of schools around the northeast suburbs of Baltimore until settling in Abingdon, Maryland's Woodsdale Meadows. In Abingdon, in the 1990's, Michael attended Bel Air High School (graduating in 1997) and worked at The Olive Tree in Aberdeen as a busboy. Immediately after 12th grade and while still a juvenile, Mr. Wood left for MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina and stood on the yellow footprints and evolved through training, deployment, and leadership to finish an honorable four-year enlistment as a Sergeant in the 2nd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Company. After serving the nation, Michael Wood Jr. had always planned to become a police officer once old enough, began serving the city of Baltimore. Eleven years later, after being in patrol, street enforcement, major case narcotics, supervision, and unit command, a recurring shoulder injury forced Mr. Wood's retirement from policing. The retirement came in 2014 when the public discourse on police reform and the use of state violence was growing and the evidence mounting. As Sergeant Wood, Michael completed a B.S. in Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement, authored extensive best practices for policing, and strove to increase the professionalism and science, but the pursuit unveiled the internal racism and injustices in policing. The death of Tamir Rice is noted by Wood as being a critical turning point in his perspective and reflection on his career as a law enforcement officer. This turning point caused a focus on finding a solution to police management with Wood completing a master's in business management - Information Technology and later a Ph.D in Business Management - Adult Education while developing the civilian-led policing model and contributing to the advancement of societal justice. In June of 2015, a series of Tweets by Wood Jr.'s since closed Twitter account, drew international attention and led to him becoming a leading representation of the next generation of policing philosophy. In 2016, Wood led the successful veterans' effort to support the Standing Rock Sioux and their land rights fight with state violence. Since the national discussion on police reform faded in 2017, Michael Wood Jr. has focused on producing educational material and advancing the scholarship of police management as an active researcher and scholar.