James Hawthorne is currently the Chief of Police for the Cedar Hill Independent School District. He is a former Assistant Police Chief with the Arlington Police Department retiring after 28 years of service. He is best described as a results oriented professional with a focus on building viable teams to reduce crime and increase citizen involvement. Hawthorne is also known as a media relations professional who is highly skilled in crisis communications and issues management. He worked as Chairman of the Joint Information Center during Super Bowl XLV as well as coordinating communication strategies for public safety during two World Series events and the NBA All-Star game held in Arlington, Texas.
A past adjunct professor for UTA, he was once named Adjunct Professor of the Year. He has lectured on a state, regional, and national level on media relations and crisis communications.
Additionally, Hawthorne is an active and involved member of the Arlington community. He currently serves as the Criminal Justice Chairman of the Arlington NAACP, a member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Four Day Celebration Committee member, and a past President of the Nu Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Hawthorne is also a member of the Arlington Cultural Arts Committee, the Advisory Board of the Tarrant County Film Commission and an organizer of the Frame4Frame Art, Music and Film Festival. He is currently the Executive Director of the Arlington Film Society.
Hawthorne received both his bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and the Senior Management Institute of Policing sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also a member:
- Texas Police Chief’s Association
- Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)
- International Association of Chief’s of Police (IACP)
- Texas School District Police Chief’s Association
He has received numerous citizen and community awards. He is married to Ursula Hawthorne, and is a proud father of two adult children, Tamorah and Brian Hawthorne.
