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Christopher O'Connor
PhD

Associate Professor

Criminology and Justice
Faculty of Social Science and Humanities

Dr. O'Connor has expertise in emerging and disruptive technologies related to policing and energy. He is building evidence-based research around police use of new technologies and social media to guide law enforcement decisions.

Contact expert

Christopher is available for:
  • Graduate student research supervision
  • Media inquiries
  • Partnerships

christopher.oconnor1@ontariotechu.net
905.721.8668 ext. 5882

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Areas of expertise


  • PhD - Sociology University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta 2010
  • MA - Sociology (with Distinction) Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario 2005
  • BA - Criminology and Criminal Justice (Highest Honours) Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario 2003
  • O’Connor, C.D. (2022). Analysts’ Experiences Working in Canadian Policing. Presented at the ‘Evidence-Based Policing: The Evidence Will Move You II’ virtual conference hosted by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP), the Cambridge Centre for Evidence-Based Policing, and The New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police. February.
  • O’Connor, C.D. (2021). Rural young people navigating the impact of natural resource and energy development. Presented at the ‘The Impact of Natural Resources & Energy Development on Rural Crime’ roundtable hosted by The International Society for the Study of Rural Crime (ISSRC). November. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk12tkNKmrA.

  •  Ng, J., Hill, D., Frederick, T., O’Connor, C.D. (2020). Thinking about police data: Analysts’ perceptions of data quality in Canadian policing. CrimCon Virtual Conference. November.
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  • O’Connor, C.D., and Fredericks, K. (2020). Enhancing interviews with young people through the use of methodological props. 91st Annual Meeting of the Pacific Sociological Association, Portland, Oregon, March (Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic).
  • Zaidi, H. and O’Connor, C.D. (2019). Policing social media: Managing challenges and overcoming negativity online. 75th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology. San Francisco, California. November.
  • Koziarski, J., O’Connor, C.D., and Frederick, T. (2019). Policing mental health: The use, successes, and challenges of specialized mental health responses in the Canadian context. 3rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing. Cincinnati, Ohio, May.
  • O’Connor, C.D., Frederick, T., Koziarski, J., and Kosarolo, K. (2019). Volunteer police: An examination of auxiliary police volunteer experiences in Canada. 46th Annual Meeting of the Western Society of Criminology. Honolulu, Hawaii, February.

  • Charman, M. and O’Connor, C.D. (2018). Rethinking the rural: Crime, risk society, and social change. 74th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology. Atlanta, Georgia, November.
  • Ostridge, L., O’Connor, C.D., and Frederick, T. (2018). Responding to sexual violence on post-secondary campuses: Models of response, on-campus investigations, and best practices for supporting survivors of sexual violence. XIX International Sociological Association World Congress of Sociology. Toronto, Ontario, July.
  • Koziarski, J., Frederick, T., and O’Connor, C.D. (2018). Policing mental illness: A critical review of definitions, concepts, and terminology. 45th Annual Meeting of the Western Society of Criminology. Long Beach, California, February.
  • O’Connor, C.D., Fredericks, K., and Kosoralo, K. (2017). Hydraulic fracturing and risk: A comparison of citizen perceptions of fracking to various types of energy developments. 54th Annual Meeting of the Australian Sociological Association. Perth, Australia, November.
  • O’Connor, C.D. and Fredericks, K. (2017). Citizen perceptions on energy: The risks and opportunities of fracking, pipelines, and natural gas in Canada. 52nd Annual Meeting of the Canadian Sociological Association. Toronto, Ontario, May.

  • O’Connor, C.D. and Zaidi, H. (2016). Police presence on social media: Engaging the public and best practices for interacting online. 72nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology. New Orleans, Louisiana, November.

People’s perceptions of energy technologies in an era of rapid transformation

Published in Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. 43: 331-342 June 1, 2022
O’Connor, C.D., Fredericks, K., and Kosoralo, K.

Police use of facial recognition technology: The potential for engaging the public through co-constructed policy-making

Published in Journal of Police Science & Management Available at: DOI: 10.1177/14613557221089558 April 1, 2022
Hill, D., O’Connor, C.D., and Slane, A.

Police analysts on the job in Canada: Work experiences, data work, and the move towards evidence-based policing

Published in Police Practice and Research January 2, 2022
O’Connor, C.D., Ng, J., Hill, D., and Frederick, T

Auxiliary police volunteer experiences and motivations to volunteer

Published in Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice 16(1): 152-166
O’Connor, C.D., Frederick, T., Koziarski, J., Baker, V., and Kosoralo, K.

What do the rural folks think? Perceptions of police performance

Published in Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice 16(1): 107-121
Ruddell, R. and O’Connor, C.D.

Presenting a uniformed self: Symbols of safety in police auxiliary members’ perceptions

Published in International Journal of Police Science & Management 24(1): 15-26
O’Connor, C.D., Koziarski, J., Frederick, T., Kosarolo, K., and Baker, V.

From strain theory to the capacity to aspire: A contribution to the cultural political economy of development

Published in Community Development 52(3): 286-304 January 6, 2022
MacNeill, T., O’Connor, C.D., Frederick, T., and James-Charles, E.

After the downturn: Perceptions of crime in the Southeastern Saskatchewan oil patch

Published in The Canadian Geographer 65(3): 281-291
O’Connor, C.D., and Ruddell, R.

Beyond the quantitative and qualitative divide: The salience of discourse in procedural justice policing research

Published in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 54(2): 126-142
Shon, P.C., O’Connor, C.D., and Cesaroni, C.

Communicating with purpose: Image work, social media, and policing

Published in The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles 94(3): 333-352
O’Connor, C.D. and Zaidi, H.

Policing mental health: The composition and perceived challenges of coresponse teams and crisis intervention teams in the Canadian context

Published in Police Practice and Research: An International Journal 22(1): 977-995
Koziarski, J., O’Connor, C.D., and Frederick, T.

Why policing the risk society became a footnote in American police studies: A missed opportunity to move police theorizing forward

Published in The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles 94(2): 222-238
Shon, P.C., and O’Connor, C.D.

Reporting unwanted sexual behavior at a post-secondary institution: Student understandings of campus policy

Published in Canadian Journal of Family and Youth 12(1): 225-242
Ostridge, L. and O’Connor, C.D. (2020)

Civilising the police: Reconceptualizing the role of the state in theories of American policing. Global Crime

Published in 20(1): 45-64
O’Connor, C.D. and Shon, P.C.

Social media and policing: A review of recent research

Published in Sociology Compass 13(1): 1-14
Walsh, J.P. and O’Connor, C.D.

A Mixed Method Study of the Sexual Victimization and Reporting Experiences of Students, Faculty, and Staff at a Diverse, Commuter University in Ontario

Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services January 1, 2016

This research involves an online survey and in-depth interviews with Ontario Tech University faculty, staff and students to assess views on sexual violence and harassment on campus. Survey results will be used to guide the development of new polices in this area. ($15,048)

A Collaboration with Durham Regional Police Service to Study How Post-Secondary Institutions and Police Services Collaborate Around Issues of Sexual Violence and Harassment

Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services January 1, 2016

This project will review research, conduct a content analysis of post-secondary school websites, and interview stakeholders to develop recommendations and best practices for collaboration between police and post-secondary institutions in dealing with sexual violence and harassment on campuses. ($25,115)

An Examination of the Social Impacts of ‘Fracking’ in Canada

Ontario Tech University SSHRC Small Research Grant` January 1, 2015

This research focuses on how communities in Canada have been affected by the use of ‘fracking’. In-depth interviews with community stakeholders are being used to determine social impacts. ($4,894)

  • Data Analysis (SSCI 2910U)
    This course offers an introduction to descriptive and inference based statistical data analysis techniques commonly used in the social sciences and humanities. Topics to be included are frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and variability, cross-tabulations, independent sample t-tests, ANOVA, correlation and regression, and elementary sampling theory. The application of statistical methods will be examined in depth with examples. Activities in this course are designed to build on those in the Research Methods course.
  • Advanced Qualitative Methods (SSCI 3920U)
    This course provides an opportunity to learn about selected qualitative methods in-depth and gain practical experience applying them to a research project. Students will learn how to plan and conduct a qualitative research project from start to finish. Historical, theoretical, epistemological, and ethical foundations of selected methods will be explored in depth.
  • Advanced Justice Studies (CRMN 4000U)
    This capstone course will provide an opportunity for critical analysis of specific justice topics. Students will be expected to synthesize material from previous courses and apply it to a social justice issue, demonstrating significant mastery of justice concepts, theory and research.
  • Criminology and Justice Integrating Project (CRMN 4099U)
    This course is designed to allow students to develop a project in criminology and justice, which pulls together the key themes of the program, namely, theory, research and policy. Emphasis will be placed on independent scholarly inquiry reflective of a qualitative, quantitative, theoretical, or policy approach. Throughout this process, students will be expected to demonstrate an advanced level of understanding based on their previous course work in this program. The integrating project provides students with the opportunity, under the guidance of a faculty member, to synthesize and apply knowledge gained throughout their program of study. The students will set topics and approaches based on their areas of interest.