Southeast's criminal justice department trains crime fighters

Many of the peace officers patrolling the highways and neighborhoods of Southeast Missouri received their initial training at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

The university's Department of Criminal Justice provides a core of courses in the field, including a law enforcement academy that qualifies students certification from the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

At Southeast, students can choose from 23 criminal justice courses. Annually, the department serves more than 300 majors.

The department's internship program lets students observe professionals in the field and gain practical job experience. Students also can pursue a master of science degree in criminal justice.

Over the last 17 years, 1,500 students have graduated from the law enforcement academy and gone on to serve the public, said Dr. Mike Brown, academy director and professor of criminal justice studies.

While some serve professionally locally, many have gone on to other regions and states, he said.

"When I started, Missouri was at the bottom in terms of the required law enforcement training hours," he said. "But now we can send people just about anywhere."

The academy is tuition-driven, he said. The university provides a classroom and an office, but instructor salaries and supplies are covered by the $2,500 fee paid by each enrollee.

The state pays none of the costs.

Each class consists of 25 to 30 students, and the academy produces 75 to 80 graduates per year. The health of the program remains good as long as new students continue to enroll, Brown said.

Instructors need not worry, says one past graduate.

"I worked in security police for four years in the Air Force," said Keith Green, an officer with the Cape Girardeau Police Department. "It was kind of an awakening to some of the laws."

Green chose to attend the academy at Southeast because of its location. He enjoyed learning physical defense training and "verbal Judo" techniques, he said. "That's learning how to talk to people in a more professional manner," he said.

Students get the benefit of expert training from professionals who are either currently working in the field or are retired after lengthy careers, Brown said.

"You can read the books all day long, but it certainly helps if you can moderate and punctuate your lectures with everyday examples," he said. "You can share the good news and the bad news."

Brown is a former Wichita, Kan., police officer who has been a member of Southeast's faculty since 1974. He is the academy's founding director.

Other staff include training coordinator Thomas Beardslee, a former chief deputy with the Scott County Sheriff's Department, and instructor Lawrence Fleming, a former police officer with Cape Girardeau, Cairo and the university's Department of Public Safety.

Adjunct professors are professionals from around the region, including Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell and Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd, retired FBI special agent Jim Lummus and Kevin Glaser of the SEMO Drug Task Force.

Instructors also include firefighters, police and other professionals from city and county agencies in Scott and Cape Girardeau counties.

The law enforcement academy is housed in Academic Hall. In the not-too-distant future, the academy will relocate to an off-campus facility in the former Tlapek Building on South Ellis Street, which also houses the Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab.

Shooting ranges at Benton and Steele, Mo., are used for firearms training. Defensive tactics courses are held in the Student Recreation Center.

Basic law enforcement training consists of 500 hours of course work. The spring 2004 class began Feb. 16 and graduates May 7. The summer session begins May 17 and graduates Aug. 6.

The academy also offers a 640-hour course in a weekend format and a 160-hour advanced class. There are also specialized programs, including: DWI accident investigation, law enforcement supervisors' school, jujitsu, domestic terrorism, hostage negotiation, SWAT tactics and jail officer training.

While a career in law enforcement may appeal to many, just a desire to wear a badge isn't enough to enroll in the academy, Brown said. An applicant needs initiative and drive.

"We're looking for their integrity, their willingness to accept responsibility and willingness to continually learn," he said. "In this job, you can only be successful if you learn how to get cooperation from people."

Among several requirements, applicants must be at least 21 years old at time of certification, make a qualifying score on a reading comprehension test and clear a criminal background check.

The academy course work begins with discussion of constitutional law and criminal law, Brown said.

"It generally begins in a lecture format," he said. "Then we'll start getting into the 'what if' questions."

Brown said television shows like "CSI" can make for an unrealistic image of a law enforcement career.

"Those things happen, and it can be a very interesting job, but there are also a lot of mundane activities," he said. "... It isn't about going from gunfight to gunfight. It doesn't happen that way."

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160