A Convenient and Necessary continuing education opportunity for Law Enforcement Officers

Whether you are a newer or more seasoned Law Enforcement Officer, this course provides a concise review of what the law expects of you in your interactions with the public. The 7 short sessions (4 hours and some change in total) are offered in a convenient to listen to, from anywhere, at any time podcast format. From a stop through arrest, the course also covers the expectations of your service regarding Miranda, warrant and warrantless searches, and other related topics. Most importantly, this course wraps up with coverage of the law regarding "Use of Force" in the 7th and final session. This session ties in what the law of procedure and liability demonstrates: you, as a Law Enforcement Officer, can expect to avoid "use of force" if you intentionally and consistently know and work to follow the expectations of the law as covered in the first 6 sessions of this course. To register for the course, go to: https://ciptc-mtu7.com/classes/

Opportunities with Praire State Legal Services

On October 1, 1977, Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. began serving clients in five counties: Kane, Lake, McLean, Peoria, and Winnebago.

The mission of Prairie State Legal Services is to ensure equal access to justice and fair treatment under the law by providing legal advice and representation, advocacy, education, and outreach that serve to protect basic human needs and enforce or uphold rights.

Prairie State Legal Services has always been a great place for Legal Studies graduates to work or students to seek valuable experience as an Intern.

Find out more about Prairie State Legal Services and see the many opportunities available at Prairie State Legal Services here:

https://pslegal.org/Jobs

ICC Criminal Justice Career Fair 2023, October 11th, 3-6 p.m.

Students and Job seekers, save the date and join us for our Annual Career Fair. Employers, reach out if you haven't been contacted but would like to participate.

Youth Development Specialist, Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center

DEPARTMENT: Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center
POSITION: Youth Development Specialist

Starting Salary: $47,937.82 (Sign on Bonus $1,000.00) $48,937.82, 10 paid holidays paid at double time of hourly wage up to $3,500.00. Quarterly performance incentive up to $2,400 and additional shift differential pay up to $2,080.00.

Minimum Qualification: To be responsible for the supervision, safety, care, and counseling of the residents at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center in order to provide a secure, structured environment conducive to the physical safety and well-being of the residents.

Requirements: The temporary educational requirements for qualified candidates would include those having an associate degree or earned a minimum of 60 credit hours at a university, college, or community college, preferably with major coursework in criminal justice, psychology, sociology, social work, or related social services. Applicants must be 21 years of age or older and are required to meet all other general qualifications for non-supervisory personnel established by the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts (AOIC), including submission of the Probation/Court Services Employment Application and certification of eligibility by the AOIC. All employees hired during this period would have five (5) years to complete their degree from an accredited college or university and are encouraged to use the County of Peoria’s College Tuition Reimbursement program.

Application Process: Please apply at the link below as a scan code.

 

Job Applicant Center (peoriacounty.org) 

Please Support the Center for Prevention of Abuse and Buy a Duck!

Our Law and Justice Students and programs have Interned, been employed by, and supported the Center for Prevention of Abuse and its Duck Race for many years.  Please use the link below to buy a Duck   before the Race on August 26th!

https://www.duckrace.com/peoria

Police Officer applications being taken by the City of Moline Illinois

For more information and to apply go here:

https://www.moline.il.us/138/Police-Department-Employment

Legal Assistant, Washington, IL

LEGAL ASSISTANT

 

            Black, Black & Brown is a well-established and respected law firm seeking a highly organized, self-motivated, detail-oriented, and energetic Legal Assistant to help us maintain our extraordinary service to our clients.  As a member of our team, you will play a pivotal role in keeping the office functioning efficiently.  You will build collaborative working relationships with our attorneys and earn the trust of our clients.  This is a challenging role with varied responsibilities and meaningful opportunities for career advancement.

 

Legal Assistant duties and responsibilities:

• Provide administrative support to attorneys and paralegals
• Enhance office effectiveness
• Handle communication with clients, professional advisors, etc.
• Prepare basic legal documents and correspondence
• Schedule matters for attorneys and paralegals
• Answer and direct phone calls
• Monitor deadlines and manage calendars
• Enter client data into case management software

 

Qualifications:

• Prior administrative/office experience preferred
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and Outlook
• Detail-oriented and high organized
• Exceptional verbal and communication skills
• Ability to prioritize and multitask
• Strong typing skills, and experience with dictation
• Ability to work independently, manage substantial workloads and keep deadlines
• Ability to handle multiple activities and work under pressure

 

This is a permanent full-time position.  Hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with a one-hour lunch.  Salary of $20.00 per hour, for experienced applicants.

 

Company Name:          Black, Black & Brown

Location:                     115 Washington Square

                                    Washington, IL

Pay:                             $20.00 ± per hour

Please send a cover letter and resume to jrokey@blackblackbrown.com

Answer your calling to serve in the law or law enforcement!

We hear the story often. "I always wanted to work in the law" or "I wanted to work in law enforcement and my (insert the person) encouraged me to get a degree in . . ." We get it.

Working in law and justice isn't for everyone. It is rarely boring, often challenging, and there is always work to do. If the law has always been one of your interests. If you enjoy helping other people solve problems. If you have to drag yourself out of bed to go to work in your current career path. We can help you answer your true calling.

The Robert H. Jennetten Diversity Scholarship for Law Students

Applications for the Robert H. Jennetten Diversity Scholarship are being accepted! Please share the link below with anyone you know in law school.

Eligibility: The applicant must be one of the following for the 2023-24 academic year:
1) an entering first-year law student;
2) a second-year law student; or
3) a third-year law student

Other Eligibility Requirements:

• The applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States of America.
• The applicant must have a four-year college degree or be expected to obtain a college degree by the end of the spring 2023 semester.
• The applicant must have been accepted to or have an application to law school pending.

Submissions are due by Friday, July 21, 2023. Application Link

Filling the Void: Rethinking the Path to a Law Enforcement Career by acknowledging the realities and returning to a more technical approach.

Posted by Tom Higgins, Professor, and Legal Studies Teaching Chair.  Professor Higgins is an ICC graduate with a degree in Police Science, a bachelor's degree, and a law degree.  You can review his background and contact information here.

We meet regularly with our Advisory Board consisting of the Sheriffs, Police Chiefs, and other police, corrections, and probation command staff from across our region. We had such a meeting yesterday.  

The purpose of those meetings is twofold.  First, these individuals provide the best source of information on what they see in our students as applicants, employees, and public servants.  They help us prepare students and graduates to meet the ever-changing expectations and challenges of law enforcement and other justice careers. And second, they and the communities they serve rely on us to meet the need for a sufficient number of applicants who understand and are prepared to meet the expectations for entering this career path. 

The keywords appear in the last sentence of the previous paragraph “expectations for entering this career path”. 

We offer an applied science degree and a certificate in Law Enforcement.  We have offered a variation of these career-oriented programs since our community college was founded.  At some point in time, we followed most community colleges in the United States and we developed and pushed for a “criminal justice” transfer degree.  In the years since, as was the case in many other courses of study, we encouraged students to pursue our Criminal Justice transfer degree.  We set the expectation that the most likely path to enter a job in law enforcement was a 4-year degree.  For a period of time, this was true for many but not all entry-level law enforcement positions.   

We don’t need to revisit or debate this shift except to acknowledge that some of this was driven by circumstances of the times and a job market that provided large numbers of applicants who did have a 4-year degree. 

Fast forward to 2023 and applicant pools for our local police and corrections employers are a fraction of what they once were.  There is a need and an opportunity before us.  It is time to adjust the narrative for where we direct students who know they want to pursue a career in law enforcement.  Our non-transfer path is the best option to meet the best interests of our community and our students.  It isn’t only the best option.  It is a reality of what occurs with our community college students.  It is a reality that is backed up by our Advisory Board.  The majority of this group, and most of our graduates begin working in a law enforcement job and then work to complete a transfer degree. 

There are many reasons for this reality and many underlying benefits for our local agencies, communities, and our students. 

My observations as an instructor, advisor, and mentor as well as my time serving as Commissioner involved in the hiring process lead me to believe that we should return to directing high school and community college students with an interest in a career in law enforcement toward the non-transfer Law Enforcement path.  These are just a few of the reasons for this position:

• The Law Enforcement curriculum allows our students to complete career-specific, technical, procedure, and service-supporting courses that are not available in the more theory-oriented Criminal Justice transfer degree;

• A 4-year degree is not required for entry into this field and despite transfer degrees, our Advisory Board, our graduates, and our faculty represent the reality that regionally and nationally, this is still a common occurrence;

• The majority of our Law Enforcement degree graduates will in fact transfer successfully to our surrounding 4-year institutions;

• Agencies will pay or provide support for employees who pursue a mission-related bachelor or graduate degree;

• Law Enforcement is a physically demanding job and many of our graduates transition to another job or career after around 20 years.  Experience assisting graduates making this transition leads me to believe that beginning your career at 21 years of age leaves you with a greater number of employment opportunities for that next chapter in life after a career in law enforcement; and

• A student who completes the ICC Law Enforcement degree immediately after high school can begin testing and likely earn a very good career opportunity as a law enforcement officer around or shortly after completion of this degree.

And by the way, this isn't a new development. This is the path that more of the law enforcement officers in our region have taken than any other. It was the path taken by the leaders of our local agencies who serve on our Advisory Board, it is the path taken by myself, Dr. Anthony White, and other members of our faculty and staff. It is a path that our students take and have taken for decades. As was always the case, a 21-year-old ICC Law Enforcement graduate can go to work in their desired career and earn a sustainable wage with debt-free support toward future education. In current circumstances, there are plenty of opportunities and the agencies in our community have a pressing need for these graduates.

I will close with this final observation.  There was a time when local law enforcement agencies recruited from college campuses across and outside of our state.  While the recruitment efforts may have led to officers hired from those other regions or states, the overwhelming trend was that those individuals did not stay in our community.  They took our training and experience and moved closer to “home” or another location.  In my experience, this is not a circumstance unique to our community.  Some of the best examples of Law Enforcement Officers in this community are individuals who grew up in, reflect the diversity of, know, and want to remain in and serve this community.  

ICC Law and Justice Students, Why taking Shortcuts doesn’t Serve YOU

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/06/college-students-professor-concerns-chatgpt/

Lawrence Shapiro’s article linked above expresses my position on plagiarism and students inclined to take shortcuts or cheat in general. They only hurt themselves and I am not going to spend my time chasing and correcting the student who chooses to take shortcuts when I can spend that time on the majority of students who truly want to learn what the knowledge and skills they need to enter and stay in law and justice careers.

The student inclined to take shortcuts has developed those habits in prior education long before reaching my class. More often than ever, students seem to come from a world where "extra credit" is mistaken for opportunities to earn make up points for work the student didn't complete in the first place. I spend far too much of my time explaining why this approach is unrealistic and non-existent in the real world. If you don't do the work, you don't get paid, you lose your job. You only get "extra credit" in the workplace if you are willing to do the work expected, plus extra work! These character and workplace expectations have always been part of the lesson plan in law and justice courses. There will always be a student or employee intent on looking for the shortcut around the time and effort necessary to learn or do what they will need to earn and keep a job in law and justice.  It is human nature.

In most cases, the "shortcut student" ends up lost and in over his head. Internships, hiring practices that require intense written, psychological and job specific testing along with multiple interviews and background checks eliminate many of these individuals. Others wash out early when it is apparent that shortcuts aren't an option. Unfortunately, a handful get through and other people pay.

Citizens, clients, co-workers, employers and the public pay the price when the "shortcut student" becomes the "shortcut employee" in a law and justice career. This typically occurs when the processes and standards for entry aren't maintained or followed. It also occurs when we fail to police our own professions in law and justice. But because most law and justice careers come with codes of professionalism and conduct, licenses, certification, and oversight of the law with other agencies that regulate the employer and the focus of employment, fewer "shortcut students" actually become or survive as "shortcut employees".  And if they do.  Well shame on the employer.

I teach what a student should do to succeed in my class and into and their intended career path. I explain why shortcuts won't serve the student, short and long term.  As I approach 30 years of teaching the law, I don't lose any sleep over the student who intends to stay on the shortcut path. I need that every bit of that sleep to serve and support the students who want to earn the ability to serve their community in law and justice.

Attention ICC Grads working or recently retired from Law Enforcement, PLEASE READ and complete this Survey

For our graduates working in Law Enforcement, please consider completing the Police1.com survey explained and linked below. 

The focus of this survey is important to all of us.  Recruitment is a challenge that impacts the hiring process for the law enforcement, probation and corrections agencies in our region.  But it has also impacted the traditionally strong and steady enrollments of our program, enrollments that fed into formerly strong candidate pools. It is an issue we need to solve to support you, our graduates and our community.  

Police1.com post and survey link:

If there is one word that sums up how 2022 played out for law enforcement, it would be recruitment. In addition to the recruitment of new personnel, the retention of experienced officers is also problematic.  News coverage focused not only on the challenges agencies faced both recruiting new officers and retaining current personnel but also on the fallout of short staffing: overworked and fatigued officers, overtime exceeding budgets and even some agencies forced to discontinue patrols due to catastrophic staffing shortages.  What impact is short staffing, mass retirements and lateral transfers having on patrol officers, especially those officers hired since 2020? This is the question Police1 wants to answer in the 2023 What Cops Want survey to provide law enforcement leaders and communities insight into how the police recruitment and retention crisis is impacting officer safety, performance and wellness.

TAKE THE WHAT COPS WANT SURVEY

Dopamine Nation, a Read well worth your Time

 I might be persuaded to award be extra credit after a discussion with any student who takes the time to  read this book. It’s an eye opener, with something relevant to everyone. - Tom Higgins

Lessons of the balance.
1. The relentless pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain, leads to pain. 
2. Recovery begins with abstinence 
3. Abstinence rests the brains reward pathway and with it our capacity to take joy and simpler pleasures.
4. Self-binding creates literal and metacognitive space between desire and consumption, a modern necessity in our dopamine overloaded world.
5. Medications can restore homeostasis, but consider what we lose by medicating away our pain.
6. Pressing on the pain side, resets our balance to the side of pleasure.
7. Beware of getting addicted to pain.
8. Radical honesty promotes awareness, enhances intimacy and fosters a plenty mindset.
9. Prosocial shame affirms that we belong to the human tribe.
10. Instead of running away from the world, we can find escape by immersing ourselves in it.” 
― Anna Lembke, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

Let Your Light Shine, the Spring 2023 Extra Credit Reading Opportunity from Professor Higgins

Extra Credit in law and justice comes by way of opportunities to take on work with different challenges or to earn additional pay with “extra” work.  This is my spring semester extra credit opportunity for my Law Enforcement, Legal Studies, Criminal Justice and 911 students.  Read or listen to this book before mid-term (the authors read it if you choose the Audible route).  After you finish the book you set a time to meet with me to discuss various aspects of the book.  For our graduates working in law and justice who may see this post, it’s a read or listen worth your time.  What you read or hear will resonate both in the people you serve or encounter at work each day and hopefully, some of what you read will seem familiar because it’s related to some of the methods and strategies I introduce for your own sanity, success and survival in this field.  Students or Grads can contact me for additional details. - Tom Higgins