About
Mike Bassi oversees all aspects of the Southern Police Institute's operations and strategic vision and Direcotr. He is a faculty member in the Administrative Officer’s Course, teaching “Police Administration” and instructs in the Department of Criminal Justice at UofL.
Mike has over 25 years of police practitioner experience, culminating as Commander of the Northern Nevada Law Enforcement Academy and Director of the Regional Public Safety Training Center, in Reno, NV. He honorably retired with 21 years of sworn service with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. During his time in law enforcement, he had a varied career, that spanned everything from SWAT to Marine Patrol on Lake Tahoe. He spent time in Detectives, Patrol, Corrections and Training. He was fortunate to be in leadership and command roles in a variety of assignments.
In addition to the University of Louisville, Mike has held adjunct faculty roles at both Western Nevada College and Truckee Meadows Community College.
While still in police command, Mike graduated from the Administrative Officer’s Course. This experience helped fuel his dedication to directing SPI to be the bridge between academic and practitioner with knowledge and research, turned to action and strategy.
Director Bassi is a current board member on the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council and also served as Vice-Chair of the Washoe County Emergency Response Advisory Committee and as a Board Member for the Trauma Intervention Program of Northern Nevada.
A proud third-generation U.S. Marine, Mike served as a Military Police Officer in CONUS and overseas assignments.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude in Social and Criminal Justice from Ashford University, a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University, and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Louisville.