Dr. John Skinner is a senior faculty lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice at Towson University, where he specializes in police policy and evidence-based violence reduction strategies. In addition to his position at the University, Dr. Skinner is a law enforcement technical advisor for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and has worked with multiple cities as a site liaison within the Police Collaborative Reform, Public Safety Partnership, and Smart Policing initiatives.

Dr. Skinner is the former deputy police commissioner and a 21-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department. As deputy police commissioner, he was responsible for the day-to-day management and oversight of the agency's Operations Bureau, which included all aspects of the department's criminal investigations and tactical and patrol operations. During his tenure, Dr. Skinner implemented operational crime reduction strategies that led to historic 30-year lows in overall violent crime in Baltimore.

Dr. Skinner was awarded Police Officer of the Year in 2010 by the National Alliance on Mental Illness for his collaborative partnerships in training police officers. In 2009, he was recognized by DOJ for the development of the Patrol Response Survey, an evaluation program that measures the community's perception of police performance. Dr. Skinner was also named "Baltimorean of the Year" by Baltimore Magazine for the creation of the Safe Zone Project, a nationally recognized community stabilization strategy.

Dr. Skinner has a Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and is a graduate of JINSA’s international homeland security exchange program with the Israel National Police Force.