| There are few jobs in the world as rewarding as a | | | | the walls with potentially dangerous criminals. A lot of |
| career in the criminal justice field. I remember when I | | | | time the Corrections Officer wears many hats. |
| first started. I was full of ideas and an attitude on how I | | | | Counselor, disciplinarian, first responder, detective, |
| was "going to change the world". I may have not | | | | manager, and secretary. There are so many tasks for |
| changed the world, but I know that I have left a lasting | | | | a Corrections Officer to complete and at the same |
| impression on some misguided individuals. Before you | | | | time be aware of his surroundings with security on his |
| decide to become involved with criminal justice I will go | | | | mind the whole time. |
| over some details of a few of the most common | | | | Dispatcher The dispatcher's job can be very stressful. |
| fields and from my observations from working in the | | | | It is more than just answering phone calls. A dispatcher |
| profession. | | | | must be able to communicate specific information to |
| Deputy/Police Officer The up side of this career is that | | | | police, fire, and EMS. Most often at the same time, and |
| you come in contact with all kinds of people, and have | | | | answer the phones! Accurate and fast typing skills are |
| the opportunity to impact their lives in a positive way. | | | | a must in this profession. With the use of CAD |
| You also have a chance to bring criminals to justice | | | | (computer aided dispatching) it has helped the |
| that need to be off the streets. That is not the whole | | | | dispatcher organize the process much easier, but in a |
| thing though. You can get involved with different | | | | crisis dispatching can turn from organized chaos to a |
| aspects of the job such as being a school liaison | | | | disaster if everyone is not on the same page. |
| officer, field training officer, swat, administration, K-9, | | | | Court Bailiff The bailiff has to ensure the security of |
| detective, academy instructor, and any other duty your | | | | the court room Many of you have seen on T.V. a |
| department has to offer. On T.V. they glamorize the | | | | bailiff just stand around and does not do a whole lot. |
| cop catching the big crook or solving a crime with high | | | | That is good. Imagine an angered family member in the |
| tech. gear. All you have to do is stop a drunk driver | | | | courtroom pulling out a gun to take out his revenge on |
| from killing a family to be a hero in my opinion. | | | | the defendant who assaulted or killed his family |
| Corrections Officer A Corrections Officer is person | | | | member. It has happened. The bailiff is always |
| that works inside a jail or prison. They are responsible | | | | scanning the courtroom looking for a potential problem. |
| for the inmate's well being and the security of the | | | | This has been just an introduction to the series that will |
| facility. These are the unsung heroes of our | | | | follow. In future articles I will analyze each of the above |
| correctional facilities. Everyday they are locked behind | | | | careers a little closer. |