Vicki King, MSCJ
Former Assistant Chief of Police
University of Texas Police Department
Houston, TX

Former Assistant Chief of Police, Vicki King, is a leading expert in the science of threat management and mitigation. Her special contribution to Med Tac has been in a number of areas including focus on de-escalation of threats before something harmful happens. She is a rising star in threat safety science. During her 30-year career, she served 27 years with the Houston Police Department, rising to the rank of Assistant Chief and earning a master’s degree in Criminal Justice.  In 2023 she is providing expertise in the best practices that can reduce harm from emerging threats such as workplace violence. She is regularly one of our speakers in great demand.

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. After retiring from HPD, Vicki King served as an emissary to the Saudi Royal family; as an adjunct professor for the University of Houston system; and as Chief of Police for the City of La Marque. During her tenure at MD Anderson and UT-Health headed their Threat Assessment Unit. In her role, she worked with multidisciplinary teams to identify and mitigate risks. Vicki King was a lead security advisor for medical centers in the Coronavirus Care Community of Practice launched by the Med Tac Global Bystander Rescue program to deal with the Coronavirus crisis.  She is an expert in workplace violence and will co-lead collaborative efforts with Chief Adcox in the TMIT Global Emerging Threats Community of Practice throughout 2023 now that she has retired to pursue academic interests.