Diversity of law enforcement jobs highlighted at Baker College event

Many of the nearly 250 high school students who attended the Baker College Policing Day were impressed to learn there is so much diversity of jobs in the criminal justice field

Capital Area Career Center student Susy Gonzalez, of Lansing, summed it up: “I’ve known I want to be in law enforcement since I was 5 years old. I love helping people and being out in the community. But, I didn’t know so many opportunities existed.”

Representatives of approximately 15 law enforcement agencies provided information about career options and the training and education needed for entry-level positions. Local and county policing organizations were represented as well as the Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol. (Lists are below this article.)

“We organized Policing Day to encourage more students to consider law enforcement careers and to connect students in Baker College’s criminal justice program with potential employers,” said Mike Picerno, Baker College Online director of computer science and criminal justice programs and a coordinator of the statewide event. “We are incredibly thankful for the law enforcement agencies that participated and for the dedicated high school instructors who provided this opportunity for their students.”

Students in Baker College criminal justice programs assisted with demonstrations of the MILO Range, an interactive firearms and tactical training system, and two mock crime scenes. They met with law enforcement representatives after the high school students departed.

The college offers undergraduate degrees in criminal justice at its campuses throughout Michigan and online. The event was held at the Owosso campus for the convenience of students across the state. Students represented communities throughout mid-Michigan, as well as Muskegon, Jackson, Macomb and Lapeer counties, and Bay City, among others.

For more information about Baker College criminal justice programs, contact Mike Konopacke at mike.konopacke@baker.edu, 989.729.3350 or 800.879.3797, or visit www.baker.edu.

The largest private college in Michigan, Baker College is a not-for-profit higher education institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Founded in 1911, Baker College grants doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees, as well as certificates in diverse academic fields including applied technology, business, education, engineering, health science, information technology and social science. Baker College has on-ground campuses throughout Michigan and offers online programs that can be completed 100 percent online without ever visiting a campus. In 2016, the Online Learning Consortium recognized Baker College Online with the OLC Quality Scorecard Exemplary Endorsement, the highest ranking for online higher education programs. For information, visit www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, @bakercollege, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/bakercollege.

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Photo captions

1-Baker-PolicingDay.jpg – Baker College Policing Day featured local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies at a career exploration event for high school students interested in criminal justice careers.

2-Baker-LansingPolice.jpg – Lansing Police Department Officer Robert Leiter, one of the law enforcement professionals at the Baker College Policing Day, provides career information to interested high school students.

3-Baker-K-9-Handler.jpg – Trooper Denis McGuckin, with K-9 Jax, a 6-year-old German shepherd, explains his role as a K-9 handler with the Michigan State Police, Flint Post, to high school students attending the Baker College Policing Day.

4-Baker-Crime scene.jpg – Baker College students demonstrate evaluation of a crime scene for high school students attending the Baker College Policing Day. The City of Owosso Police Department created the mock crime scene.

6-Baker-JacksonStudents – Trooper Amy Belanger, Michigan State Police, Flint Post, explains career and training information to Jackson Christian School students Caleb Thomas and Cam Smith, both of Jackson, at the Baker College Policing Day.

Representatives from the following law enforcement agencies were represented at Baker College Policing Day:

City of Corunna Police Department

City of Detroit Police Department

City of Durand Police Department

City of Flint Police Department

City of Owosso Police Department

City of Wayne Police Department

Genesee County Sheriffs Office

Kalamazoo Public Safety

Lansing Police Department

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan State Police

Oakland County Sheriffs Office

Shiawassee County Sheriffs Office

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol

Village of Lennon Police Department

Wayne County Sheriffs Office

Students from the following schools registered for Baker College Policing Day:

Bay City Central High School

Byron High School

Capital Area Career Center (Greater Lansing area)

Carman-Ainsworth High School

Corunna High School

Dansville High School

Jackson Christian School

Laingsburg High School

Lansing Everett High School

Lapeer County Education Technology Center

Leslie High School

Mason High School

Michigan Virtual Charter Academy

Morrice Junior/Senior High School

Muskegon Area Career Tech Center

Owosso High School

Pennfield High School

Perry High School

Shiawassee Regional Educational Service District

Southwest Macomb Technical Educational Consortium

Stockbridge High School