Criminal Justice Careers Eat & Meet with Albemarle County PD and US Secret Service
On Thursday, Nov. 17 at noon, representatives from the Albemarle County Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service conducted a criminal justice career panel at PVCC. The event was organized by Trisha Kipps, program coordinator and assistant professor of police science & administration of justice, in collaboration with the PVCC’s career services managers, André Luck and Gigi Davis. The event was open to the public.
The panel featured Captain Darrell Byers from the Albemarle County Police Department and Federal Officer Jeffrey Anglim from the U.S. Secret Service. About 20 people attended the event. Luck presented general questions to the panelists, and the audience asked follow-up questions. Towards the end of the closing session, the audience was able to have one-on-one conversations with the panelists.
The first question Luck asked the two panelists was “What attracted you to law enforcement as a career?” Anglim shared that he grew up in a community where most of his family and friends served as police officers. He also served in the Army Reserves. His experience in the Army Reserve, his liking for police and military discipline, and his family and friends who served as police officers motivated him to become a law enforcement officer. For Captain Darrel Byers, he wanted to become a police officer in the Albemarle County Police Department because he grew up in the area and wanted to protect and serve his community.
Another question that Luck asked the two panelists was, “For somebody who is graduating from PVCC in the criminal justice program, what would be some of the entry-level positions?” Anglim said that it is hard to classify the U.S. Secret Service jobs that are entry-level, since the special agent side requires some experience. Applicants that have served in a police or military unit have an advantage in getting a special agent job. However, in the uniform division, experience is not required because you are getting trained and educated there.
Albemarle County Police Department offers a lot of internship opportunities for college students. For example, Byers shared that “Samantha is actually a part of our program now.” Samantha, currently a PVCC criminal justice student, had the opportunity to work with the animal protection members, K9 officers, and victims and witnesses in the internship program.
PVCC offers both a Career Studies Certificate in Advanced Criminal Justice and an Associate of Applied Science degree in police science that prepares students to work in the law enforcement field. Students enrolled in these programs are eligible to apply for internships to work at a police department, for which they can receive college credits.
