Born in Houston to a long-standing law enforcement family, King grew up aspiring to become a police officer. When she joined the Houston Police Department in 1985, women in patrol and investigations were still rare. In 2001, King earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and in 2006 a Master’s of Science in the same discipline from the University of Houston. She has had additional formal training through the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University and Law Enforcement Management Institute Training for new police chiefs at Sam Houston State University.
Career
King served 27 years with the Houston Police Department, rising to the rank of Assistant Chief and earning a master's degree in Criminal Justice. As Chief of Detectives, Tactical Support Commander, and Director of Forensic Services, she oversaw some of HPD's highest-profile cases, including serial homicides, corruption, domestic violence, sexual assaults, and gangland slayings. King created the Gang Murder Squad within the Houston Police Department, which resulted in homicide clearance rates improving from 62% in 2005 to 94% in 2008. She left the Houston Police Department to serve as an emissary to the Saudi Royal family. She has been an adjunct professor for the University of Houston system and has been the Chief of Police for the City of La Marque, Texas, working with agencies of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, DEA and the FBI.
King is one of the pioneers Threat Safety Science for the healthcare industry sector along with her research colleagues at MD Anderson Cancer Center, clinical experts at the Texas Medical Center, and national threat management and patient safety experts. The research and development work is focused on prevention, preparedness, protection, and performance improvement related to manmade and natural threats using a multidisciplinary team approach. As a leader of the Threat Management Unit at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, she and her colleagues are working on evidence based solutions that can deescalate high threat situations that prevent harm to caregivers, patients, and law enforcement staff.
