B.S., University of New Haven, Law Enforcement Administration, 1986
M.S., University of New Haven, Criminal Justice, 1995
M.S., Johns Hopkins University, Management, 2009
Robert “Bobby” McDonald holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in Criminal Justice from the University of New Haven, as well a master's degree in Management from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.
He has experience as both a State of Connecticut and United States Probation Officer and spent over 20 years with the United States Secret Service. Throughout his career, he completed assignments at the New Haven Resident Office in Connecticut, as well as the Presidential, Vice Presidential, and Dignitary Protection Divisions in Washington, DC. He coordinated security for numerous foreign and domestic dignitary visits, as well as several National Special Security Events, including the 2011 APEC Summit in Honolulu, HI and the 2012 G8 Summit at Camp David in Thurmont, MD. McDonald also spent time in charge of all asset and personnel allocations for the agency in the Office of Protective Operations and was the operations supervisor at the U.S. Secret Service academy located in Beltsville, MD. He is considered an expert in executive protection, intelligence, and event planning operations, as well as a leading authority of protective travel logistics and training.
See MoreHe retired in September of 2015 as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Vice-Presidential Division. In this position, McDonald was responsible for all protective operations and training provided to the 180 special agents assigned to then Vice President Joseph Biden and his family.
Upon retirement from the U.S. Secret Service, he joined the security department of the National Basketball Association in New York, NY, as Senior Director of Global Events Security. During his five and a half years at the NBA, McDonald coordinated numerous domestic and foreign events such as the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro and several global games in Shanghai, London, Mexico City, and Tokyo. He was the coordinator of the NBA’s security platform at the 2020 NBA All Star Weekend in Chicago, IL and oversaw the security platform for two “bubbles” put on by the NBA for the recent completion of the 2019-2020 and the 2020-2021 basketball seasons.
From 1978-1995, McDonald was an on-ice hockey official, working high school, collegiate (ECAC) and professional (AHL) games in the northeast.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, says parents should talk to their children about what to do if they feel unsafe while out in their neighborhoods.
In the Media
Matthew Schmidt, associate professor of international affairs, national security, and political science, comments on the recent development of Iran supplying Russia with drones to attack Ukraine.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about the shooting of three police officers who were ambushed responding to a domestic violence call.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, discusses the protections consumers should use when meeting in person to finalize an online sales transaction, following an armed robbery over the weekend.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about how staff and parents can help keep children safe at school in part one of a five-part series.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about how staff and parents can help keep children safe at school in part two of a five-part series.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about how staff and parents can help keep children safe at school in part three of a five-part series.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about how staff and parents can help keep children safe at school in part four of a five-part series.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about how staff and parents can help keep children safe at school in the final part of a five-part series.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about the heightened security in London for the world leaders arriving for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, says it’s important to lock doors and windows and advises the public to be proactive with protecting themselves.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, lecturer of criminal justice, talks about the importance of transparency in the investigations of police officers who responded to an active shooter at the elementary school in Uvalde.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, lecturer of criminal justice, discusses why a special master will be appointed to review the documents taken from former President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, discusses some of the materials the FBI seized from former President Trump's home while executing a search warrant.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, lecturer of criminal justice, comments on the challenges law enforcement has trying to monitor social media platforms for credible threats that could lead to violence.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, lecturer of criminal justice, talks about a possible rise in campus crimes across the country as students return for the fall semester.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, discusses the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s home in Florida.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about how the execution of the search warrant by the FBI and how they worked with the Secret Service agents that protect former President Donald Trump.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, discusses the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s home in Florida.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, discusses the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s home in Florida.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about the search warrant executed by the FBI on former President Trump’s home in Mar-A-Lago, describing the action as unprecedented.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, explains what sextortion is and how parents can help their teens avoid this trap.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about the video release of showing the response of police officers who rushed to the scene of a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, TX.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer in criminal justice, discusses Valley Transit Authority mass shooting in 2021 by a disgruntled employee that left nine people dead and the recent arrest of another VTA employee for an alleged threat of gun violence over a company policy.
In the Media
Bobby McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, says whistle-blowing and unauthorized disclosures are two completely different terms used when confidential information is revealed.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about the security concerns across the country after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
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Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, discusses the need to find a bi-partisan solution as the number of mass shootings is reaching epidemic proportions.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer of criminal justice, talks about security at hospitals in the aftermath of mass shootings across the country, including one at a medical building in Tulsa.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, senior lecturer of criminal justice, says the public should wait for all of the facts to come in before judging the police response to the mass shooting in Texas.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a senior lecturer of criminal justice, discusses steps that can be taken to protect schools and students’ and teachers’ safety.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a senior lecturer in criminal justice, talks about the recent mass shooting in Texas and what may be done to help prevent this in the future.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, senior lecturer of criminal justice, comments on a plot the FBI uncovered to assassinate former President George W. Bush over the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer in criminal justice, discusses efforts by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department to recruit more deputies.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, lecturer of criminal justice, talks about what goes into providing security at a major sports event such as the Super Bowl and how the trucker group protesting could impact the game.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, a lecturer in criminal justice, talks about the similarities of counterfeiting money and check washing.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, lecturer of criminal justice, talks about the events of January 6, 2021, and what the term insurrection means.
In the Media
Robert McDonald, lecturer of criminal justice, comments on how charges of wire fraud can be used in the prosecuting of fraudulent transactions.
In the Media
Robert 'Bobby' McDonald, lecturer of criminal justice, comments on the rise in school incidents throughout Connecticut.