Prof. Paul Boyles is excited to join the faculty of the Franciscan University of Steubenville Criminal Justice Program as a Visiting Professor. He served for over eighteen years as a Police Officer with the Lexington Police Department in Lexington Kentucky, retiring in August of 2024 at the rank of Lieutenant. He served in a variety of roles including Patrol, Crimes Against Children, Robbery Homicide, Internal Affairs, Training, and Special Operations. He was also the department’s lead instructor in Police Ethics.
Paul has completed his MA in Philosophy at the University of Kentucky and is working to complete his Doctorate in Philosophy, focusing on the ethics of Aristotle and Saint Thomas Aquinas. His research interests include virtue formation, practical ethics, and criminal justice ethics.
Paul lives in Steubenville with his wife, Martha, and their adult special-needs daughter, Elsah.
- BA: Cornell College
- MA: University of Kentucky
- Ph.D.: University of Kentucky (ABD, Anticipated Dissertation Completion 2024)
- Kentucky Law Enforcement Council Criminal Justice Executive Development Graduate,
Law Enforcement Experience: Patrol, Investigations (Crimes Against Children, Robbery-Homicide), Internal Affairs, Certified Instructor (Ethics, Leadership, and Crisis Intervention), Special Operations Event Planning
Memberships: Institute for Law Enforcement Administration Alumni Association, American Philosophical Association, American Catholic Philosophical Association, International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association
Dissertation on A Thomistic Account of Virtue and Vice Formation
Current Police Projects: Recruiting, Internship Program, Application of Thomistic Virtue Ethics to Police Ethics, Policing as a Discerned Vocation
