At the Scene of the Crime
Written by Kelly Fodel
“Servicemembers and veterans are attractive to any criminal justice employer because of their training, discipline and ability to follow a chain of command that is common in most criminal justice professions,” said Stephanie Girard, criminal justice chair at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. “The three primary branches of the criminal justice system have many opportunities in both field work and administrative positions.”
Indeed, said Russ Tresner, military coordinator at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, there are many areas of knowledge that help servicemembers pursue such careers after the military.
“They have experience in leadership, ethics, dealing with diversity, collaboration, time management, authority-subordinate relationships, planning and programming policy determination and implementation, and possibly even budgeting and forecasting,” Tresner said.
Careers in criminal justice need not be limited to police work or law enforcement, though that is a popular area among those with military experience. Also of note are careers in crime prevention, public administration, human services, disaster management, immigration, drug enforcement, intelligence, computer crime and security, and information security.
GROWING DEMAND
Overall, the need for qualified criminal justice and security professionals is greater than ever, with employment of private detectives and investigators, for example, expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Frank DiMarino, dean of the criminal justice school at Kaplan University, which has both online programs as well as campuses in Iowa and Nebraska, noted that the job market is particularly good for probation officers, correctional treatment specialists and security experts, as well as police officers and detectives seeking employment in local police departments.
Linda Frank, director of veteran and military education at the State University of New York’s Empire State College, based in Saratoga Springs, said that the focus on homeland security since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has changed law enforcement in the United States from largely local investigation and prosecution of local crimes and federal intervention in matters of interstate or international crimes to an integrated approach to intelligence, crime prevention and counter-terrorism that requires the collective efforts of all law-enforcement agencies.
“This requires understanding of the nature and purposes of terrorism, as well as the means of preventing it and managing responses to it,” Frank said. “It requires knowledge of the criminal law and methods of analyzing crime patterns and intelligence information. It underscores the need for an understanding of government and policy and the means for influencing it, as well as the methods of effectively communicating within organizations and with the general public.”
Many servicemembers or veterans may wonder if a bachelor’s degree or master’s is truly necessary to pursue a career in criminal justice or homeland security. For some jobs, the answer is a definitive yes. For example, a bachelor’s is the minimum educational qualification for many special agent positions in federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service and the Secret Service, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Military officers who already have a bachelor’s degree might consider acquiring a master’s as well and pursuing a career in criminal justice management. A bachelor’s degree could be quite helpful even to an individual who wants to become a local law enforcement officer. In today’s economy, job competition is stiff. A degree might give a competitive edge and aid in future promotions and salary increases.
EMERGING SPECIALTIES
The veteran or active servicemember should also keep in mind that there are many developing fields in the area of criminal justice. Keeping track of these trends and gearing one’s studies in those directions may give an advantage in the job market. For example, there are a number of new opportunities for geographic crime analysis, and military training is very helpful with these positions.
Other developing areas of study within criminal justice include digital forensics, comparative criminal justice, other types of forensics, and joint criminal justice and public administration or business administration degrees. Within homeland security, the new areas seem to be those that couple homeland security work with other professional areas such as business, engineering and natural sciences.
The University of Oklahoma’s Tresner cautions that criminal justice priorities and research dollars will follow the emphasis of the current administration.
“We are seeing a return to community policing, victimization, technology, et cetera, and away from homeland security issues,” Tresner said. “Absent a major terrorist event in the United States, homeland security will simply become a routine aspect of the criminal justice system. The bottom line is that courses in practical leadership applications, practical ethics and in governmental budgeting, although not the most interesting courses for some students, are the areas that are most needed in the field of criminal justice.”
PROGRAM PARTICULARS
When looking into a college’s criminal justice programs, one should be careful to learn how they cater to the needs of the military student. This is particularly important if prospective students are active duty. Experts recommend finding out about the school’s accreditation and how flexible the course work is. Many schools offer special financial aid assistance to the military. The University of Louisville, for example, participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, an initiative in which private schools receive matching funds from the Department of Veterans Affairs to cover tuition costs, and it also participates in the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges’ Concurrent Admissions Program, which helps new soldiers upon enlistment develop a plan to attend college, noted Joe Dablow, the University of Louisville’s coordinator of military and veteran services.
For servicemembers on active duty or about to deploy soon, online study may be the best option. Again, students must do their research to determine what online classes are offered at accredited institutions, and what their options are if they are deployed. Kaplan, for example, allows military students to take a 180-day leave without being dropped from a program. Enrolled in its School of Criminal Justice are more than 1,200 students who are active duty servicemembers, military spouses or veterans.
One of the most important considerations is ensuring that the servicemember or veteran gets credit for transferable military experience and knowledge. Many schools have degree programs that are designed to accommodate transfer credit earned through prior learning or military training. Many skills learned in the military are readily transferable into criminal justice careers. Some might look for a universal degree plan that enables students to maximize prior learning—including military training, experience or prior course work—and the flexibility to customize degree programs based on individual interests.
In the final analysis for planning an educational course of action to pursue these types of jobs, servicemembers considering a career in criminal justice or homeland security can feel comfortable that they are making a good choice—one that will utilize their acquired knowledge, said Dr. Deborah Keeling, chair of the University of Louisville’s department of justice administration.
“The fact that they have, directly or indirectly, dealt with issues related to national security, public safety, fire arms, homeland security and intelligence is of great benefit as all of these issues are directly related, in some manner, to most every criminal justice or homeland security position,” Keeling said. ♦