From fox6now.com: “WCTC’s Criminal Justice Dean Brian Dorow on Boston bombings” – Brian Dorow is the Dean of Criminal Justice at Waukesha County Technical College.
Dorow appeared on FOX6 News following the explosions at the Boston Marathon to talk about law enforcement’s response to a mass tragedy.
Fighting Internet crime at Fox Valley Technical College
February 20, 2013
From fox11online.com: “Fighting Internet crime at Fox Valley Technical College” – GRAND CHUTE – The fight against Internet crimes involving children is getting a renewed boost from the federal government.
It keeps up to $25 million over four years flowing into a program at Fox Valley Technical College.
Each dot on this map represents someone logged on to a child pornography site. Brad Russ says there are hundreds nationwide and beyond.
“You can see the magnitude of the problem,” said Brad Russ, director of the Criminal Justice Training Center at FVTC.
The program is called “Round-up.” It’s part of the ongoing effort to stay ahead of would-be offenders.
“Now, they can access material anywhere in the world very rapidly. Everybody’s got web cams now. It’s a lot more prevalent problem I think than it ever used to be,” said Russ.
Russ runs the National Criminal Justice Training Center at Fox Valley Technical College in Grand Chute. A federal grant from the Child Protection Act of 2012 pays for the program, and training for officers.
During a recent training session, Appleton Police Department Sergeant Polly Olson went undercover, posing as a mother of two young girls.
Olson said it didn’t take long to get a response.
“He was approaching me. He wanted to travel, to meet my kids in exchange for some sex with my kids,” said Sgt. Olson.
Olson tracked the number to a sex offender in Wyoming.
“They were able to pick him up, and are actually prosecuting him for that offense,” said Olson.
In the last two years, the Internet Task Force has made 4,000 arrests, executed more than 6,000 search warrants, and saved 84 children from abusive situations.
Congressmen Reid Ribble voted for the initiative.
“As a parent, and grand parent, protecting children matters to every single family,” said Rep. Reid Ribble, R-8th District.
“That’s the thing that we’re all working towards, is how to interdict these crimes before they happen, or help children who have been victimized.”
In the task force’s 15 years, it has assisted in 33,000 arrests for suspected computer crimes against children.
That’s on average half a dozen a day.
WITC criminal justice students attend national conference
April 17, 2012
From newrichmond-news.com: “WITC-New Richmond students tour Maricopa County Jail” – The Criminal Justice Club from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College-New Richmond campus recently attended the annual American Correctional Association Conference in Phoenix.
Among the many events, they toured the notorious Maricopa County Jail or “Tent City.”
Tent City, with a neon “vacancy” sign above it, is run by Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Up to 2,000 inmates live in tents, wear old-fashioned prison stripes and pink underwear; and the camp prohibits cigarettes, adult magazines, hot lunches and TV.
The students agreed the trip provided an excellent learning experience.
WITC serves the educational and career needs of more than 25,000 residents of Northwestern Wisconsin each year. With multiple campuses, WITC offers career-focused associate degree programs, technical diplomas, short-term certificates, customized training, and a wide array of courses for personal or career enrichment.
Former General Motors workers build new lives
December 20, 2011
From gazettextra.com: “Former General Motors workers build new lives” – JANESVILLE — Three years after her last day at the Janesville General Motors plant, Pam Good has a better appreciation for how people survive on low wages.
“I don’t take money so much for granted anymore,” she said. “I see how others have had to struggle with the wages they make.”
Good earned more than $29 an hour at GM plus excellent health benefits. Today, she earns $11 an hour drawing blood at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center and has health insurance with fewer benefits.
“When I worked at GM, I knew I could support myself if something ever happened to my husband,” she said. “But there is no way I can support myself on this wage.”
Good’s husband is an ironworker. She has two children, ages 21 and 11.
Like so many former GM workers who did not move to take jobs in other auto-making plants, she has adjusted to a lifestyle built on lower wages.
“We do a lot of cutting back,” she said. “You can’t afford the extra stuff, even going out to dinner. We don’t go to the movies as much. We don’t have as many vacations.”
The family is spending less on Christmas as well.
Northcentral Technical College grad named police chief
December 14, 2011
From wausaudailyherald.com: “Merrill names Capt. Ken Neff new police chief” – MERRILL — The Police and Fire Commission is promoting an officer with nearly 30 years of experience in Merrill to serve as the city’s next police chief.
Capt. Ken Neff will replace Chief Ned Seubert, who announced Dec. 6 that he is retiring in March after nearly 36 years on the job. Seubert has been police chief since November 2007.
The commission has the authority to hire officers but cannot set salary, commission Chairman Dick Baumgardt said Tuesday. The Merrill City Council likely will vote next month to determine Neff’s salary. Seubert’s annual salary is $77,554, according to city records.
Neff and Seubert were the two finalists when Seubert was hired as chief in 2007, and Baumgardt said the commission thought Neff was qualified for the job both in 2007 and now.
“Ken is very capable and did everything we wanted a captain to be and will do as a chief,” Baumgardt said.
Neff, 52, has worked his way through the department’s ranks during the past three decades. He had an internship with the Merrill Police Department while he completed the police science program at Northcentral Technical College. He was hired in 1982 as a patrol officer, was promoted in 1997 to lieutenant and rose in 2007 to the rank of captain. Neff also created the department’s school resource officer position and served in that role for more than two years during his tenure.
NWTC Using Head-mounted Camera to Train Police Officers
December 9, 2011
From wbay.com: “NWTC Using Head-mounted Camera to Train Police Officers” – Green Bay - Police officer recruits going through training at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College are testing some new, high-tech equipment that gives them a unique way to learn.
Officers are wearing a tiny camera on a helmet. It’s constantly recording, but it only records what an officer sees.
NWTC says it’s the first school in the country to test this technology.
“Rather than being a remote video someplace, like a squad car or passively being used by somebody else, or even on the officer’s chest, it’s actually on the ear,” NWTC criminal justice instructor Bob Willis said.
Wherever the officer looks, the Axon camera captures those images but it doesn’t see anything outside his line of sight.
Instructors say that helps them with training because it shows why officers react in a certain way and helps justify their decision whether to use deadly force.
The video is all recorded on a secure site where it cannot be edited, but it’s immediately available for officers to review and analyze their actions.
“They can actually see themselves. They can watch what they did during the day, critique themselves, review what they did during the day, make improvement plans for the next day. So for us in training, it’s an excellent tool,” Willis said.
“I’ll go on and think I should have done something differently, but I watch it and say, ‘Oh, I reacted properly,’ or, ‘Next time I’ll react differently,’” Jacob Smetana, a Racine Police Department recruit, said.
SWTC staff create ‘tactical fitness’ program
October 28, 2011
From policeone.com: “Implementing a ‘tactical fitness’ program” – The law enforcement profession presents a variety of unique physical challenges which can cause serious — sometimes career-ending — physical injury. For just one example, you may spend two straight hours seated in your squad car, followed immediately by a foot pursuit which ends in a wrestling match. Some departments are good at giving officers the time and the equipment required to work out and prepare your body physically for the many outside physical forces which will be placed upon you in the line of duty — other agencies leave it entirely up to the individual officer.
I’ve recently been in touch with some folks who have implemented a program that piqued my interest. Dubbed “Tactical Fitness” this health and wellness program targets specific muscle groups with exercises created specifically for situations officers encounter in the line of duty, with the objective of preventing injuries and health-related issues. Tactical Fitness was created by staff members of the criminal justice program at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College and instructors at Orange Shoe Personal Fitness (based in Fitchburg, Wisconsin). The program’s goal is to bring a new culture to departments and recruits using a cost-effective wellness model with stability balls, resistance bands, and TRX Suspension Trainers, a versatile piece of exercise equipment that is portable, lightweight, and can be used in a minimum amount of space.
Southwest Tech received a grant through the Wisconsin Department of Justice to offer a workshop for local Wisconsin law enforcement agencies providing Tactical Fitness training designed to give officers the tools to train their individual departments. Local agencies that participated include the Iowa Country Sheriff’s office, Dodgeville Police Department, Fennimore Police Department, Dubuque Police Department, and Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office.
Terrific Teacher: NWTC Criminal Justice Instructor
October 21, 2011
From wearegreenbay.com: “Terrific Teacher: NWTC Criminal Justice Instructor” – The criminal justice program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College is so popular, classes have been added to eliminate the waiting list.
Our Terrific Teacher is part of that program.
Instructor Ron Connolly says “they [students] know that I have an open door, I advertise I have a comfortable place, offer them a cool beverage and really let them talk about any issue that is on their mind at that particular time.”
NWTC Criminal Justice instructor Ron Connolly is famous on campus for his comfy green chair and genuine interest in listening to students.
“This is my opportunity to have an impact and make sure our next generation of leaders or heroes are better than their predecessors” he explains.
Connolly believes his open door policy is the first step in teaching these future officers to be caretakers in their community.
“The awesome responsibility isn’t enforcing the law, its treating people with respect, keeping them safe, and as a last resort absolutely we enforce the law” says Connolly.
Read more from wearegreenbay.com
Market still tough for job seekers
September 6, 2011
From the postcrescent.com: “Market still tough for job seekers” – Whitney Barner hopes when she finally lands a full-time job everything she did to get it will be worth it.
The 20-year-old Two Rivers native, who now lives in Oshkosh, will be wrapping up a two-year criminal justice program at Fox Valley Technical College this December. While she’s been attending FVTC she also has been working toward a bachelor’s degree in human services at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which she wants to finish in 2½ years.
Barner, also a member of the FVTC women’s basketball team, holds down two part-time jobs, one at Sergio’s Mexican Restaurant in Appleton and the other as a security cadet at FVTC.
Barner wants to show a potential employer she has a strong work ethic, something she believes will benefit her full-time employment search, especially entering a market where competition is fierce for every available job, an environment experts say may linger into 2013 as the tepid economic recovery continues to feed uncertainty.
From UW – Platteville: “University of Wisconsin-Platteville expands credit pact with technical colleges” – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville, an accredited pioneer in distance learning for 33 years, has expanded its credit transfer agreement with Lakeshore Technical College, Cleveland, Wis. The UW-Platteville has added constitutional law and criminal law to its list of courses that will transfer to its bachelor’s degree program from Lakeshore’s Criminal Justice – Law Enforcement program. Graduates of the program can take advantage of the new agreement starting this fall.
“Increasing the number of transferable courses from two to four demonstrates the commitment by both our institutions to students,” said Amy Nemmetz, coordinator for UW-Platteville’s undergraduate criminal justice program. “And it’s our responsibility to provide them whether they’re online or on-campus, with every opportunity to succeed. This does just that.”
