A lifelong learner's journey from policing to publishing
Maurice Hicks ’96, an adjunct associate professor at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), did not set out to become an author; he just had a lot of stories to share.
In 2023, Fulton Books published Looking for Trouble, Hicks’s memoir written in the style of a suspenseful crime novel, with tales ranging from his upbringing in Baltimore to his time as a police officer across Maryland detailing the evolving thought processes behind a life devoted to public service.
While it details his two-decade career as an officer and detective, the story is more broadly one of lifelong learning and its persistent payoffs.
Family and friends paved the way
As a kid, Hicks lived across the street from a drug den. Fortunately, he was more immediately surrounded by people who held the keys to avoiding that life.
"Everyone in the community emphasized the importance of education. Everyone from the local grocer to the local banker,” Hicks wrote in the book. “The security guard at the Foodtown supermarket … told me ‘get yourself a good education, son. You won't be like me, an old man guarding a supermarket.’"
Hicks credits the influence of his mother and aunt for where he ended up. Both were teachers, part of a group of mostly African American women who made up his early role models. He noted his aunt was also among several family members who steered him away from drugs and alcohol, and toward more positive influences.
“It meant I always had an essential appetite for learning as a child,” Hicks said.
His watchful grandfather—whom he later learned was not a blood relative—was perhaps the biggest molder of Hicks’s identity.
A devoted Christian, he passed on his deep faith to Hicks. He also predicted many of the heartaches Hicks would face as a thoughtful person in what can be a cold-hearted profession, and he warned of issues Hicks could face as a Black officer.
Although Hicks’s grandfather had a past in crime, he disavowed that life after serving time and always voiced his belief that Hicks was destined for greatness. A big part of that was keeping on a smart path, which Hicks always tried to do.
Overcoming obstacles
From a young age, Hicks was used to successfully overcoming challenges, but that didn't mean there weren't daunting obstacles along the way.
He somewhat abruptly joined the U.S. Marine Corps after accompanying a high school friend who was interested in enlisting. Although Hicks initially felt that he wasn’t cut out for military life, he survived training, including for his occupational specialty, graduating at the top of his class. He earned a promotion to the rank of Lance Corporal and went on to serve four years in the reserves.
After returning home, his first foray into higher education while working full-time didn’t go as he hoped. Despite having an appetite for learning and bringing curiosity to all endeavors, he quickly ended up on academic probation. A semester later, Hicks dropped out of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
It was partly overextension and partly feeling uncomfortable and out of place. Rather than quit entirely, he rededicated himself and joined a community college to get back into the groove.
“I'm a person who turns negatives into positives, so I did use various incidents in my life and career to be the best I could be,” he said.
Hicks’s drive eventually put him on the road to make another go at earning a degree.
Back to school
While investigating narcotics crimes, about six to seven years into his stint in the Prince George's County Police Department, Hicks decided it was time to finish what he started years earlier. He had long wanted to return to school when a colleague told him about UMGC.
“One of my squad mates told me he was going to UMGC, and talked about the open learning platform,” Hicks recalled. “I said ‘this is perfect.’”
He ultimately finished his studies while working a full-time job as a detective, earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. The flexibility of UMGC's learning model allowed him to continue his education while balancing the demands of a law enforcement career.
“I got a better understanding of my job through UMGC,” Hicks said. “I became a better investigator, a better officer, and a better commander.”
Sharing knowledge, and still writing
With three years left until retirement from the force and 20 years after being dismissed from UMBC, Hicks began teaching in 2001, passing on his knowledge to students pursuing careers in security management and criminal justice. Although his book details a life of fighting crime, it was arguably in the classroom that Looking for Trouble was born.
In that setting, Hicks wanted to make sure he provided a realistic look at what being a detective is like.
“So, I started giving students these case studies,” he said. “But I didn't tell the students until the end that the case studies were actually my cases.”
Hicks pointed out that his students’ enthusiasm for learning by example helped kickstart his writing effort. Moved by his stories, students over several classes and years suggested he should publish them.
“I remember the details to the day because they were all so exciting,” he said. “It almost had to be written.”
Hicks shared that another volume is in the pipeline. Looking for Trouble 2 should be available in late 2026.
Readers interested in Hicks’s experiences can listen to an October 2025 Unstoppable Stories podcast interview. Additional information about UMGC programs in public safety, including a criminal justice bachelor’s law enforcement track, is available at umgc.edu.
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