By Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
For The Birmingham Times
His father was an educator and president of Lawson State Community College and his mother was the school’s dean of students.
But Theo Lawson said he would never get into education.
However, fate dealt Lawson a different hand.
“I wound up teaching lawyers and I wound up teaching police officers,” Lawson said. “I never thought that I could teach things that I actually liked.
“The one who swore he would never get into education becomes director of public safety at an institution of higher education,” he said.
That institution is Miles College, where Lawson became director of public safety in December. The father of four is also an assistant Jefferson County attorney.
The license plate on his black Cadillac ATS sedan echoes the dual nature of his world. It reads, “LWYRCOP.”
Lawson jokes that he has been like both the police portrayed on the opening half of the Law & Order television show and the lawyers portrayed in the second half.
His wife Yolanda, an assistant city attorney for Birmingham, is a fan of Law & Order. He generally critiques the show.
“I sit there and go, ‘You can’t do that,’” he said. “’That’s not the way that goes.’ Ironically, I was regional director of the National Black Prosecutors Association for several years (and) a lot of those folks that show is patterned after, I know them.”
Lawson calls himself a “Today Show, CNN kind of guy.” As far back as he can remember, he was fascinated with law and law enforcement, often imaging himself to be a detective or criminologist.
The Pleasant Grove resident had largely decided to pursue being a police officer but his parents suggested he take advantage of his skills in debate and pursue being a lawyer.
As he began his career, Lawson was a private investigator, night court prosecutor for the City of Birmingham who went to the district attorney’s office.
“That gave me the best of both worlds,” Lawson said. “I got to be a lawyer and have a badge.”
From there, Lawson taught at the National College of District Attorneys, became chief assistant city attorney for the City of Birmingham,
taught at several local police academies and became a certified tactical operator.
“I pretty much hold all of the certifications that you can have in law enforcement,” said Lawson, who also serves as a criminal law and procedure professor at Miles College.
So which career path would Lawson like to pursue? “I enjoy doing it all and making a difference in law and law enforcement,” he said.
“I’ll see where God points me.”
