Program Initiatives
1. Created and implemented in 2011, the SRSU-Rio Grande College Criminal Justice Internship with the Office of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General. This office ensures that all DHS employees and programs are effective and efficient. It is responsible for the evaluation of programs, conducts financial and performance audits, and carrys out criminal investigations. The internship offers criminal justice students an opportunity to work side-by-side with special agents, auditors, attorneys, and IT experts to prevent and detect fraud, waste, mismanagement, and abuse in DHS programs and operations. Students may enroll for three credit hours (20 hours per week/15 weeks = 300 clock hours) and may opt to enroll for a subsequent three credit hours. The program was designed to enhance student awareness of federal law enforcement operations and employment opportunities.
2. Created and implemented in 2009, the SRSU-Rio Grande College Criminal Justice Internship with the Office of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations. This office is responsible for the internal investigations of federal law enforcement officers. The internship offers criminal justice students an opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight into the area of federal law enforcement operations, criminal procedures, and internal investigations. Students may enroll for three credit hours (20 hours per week/15 weeks = 300 clock hours) and may opt to enroll for a subsequent three credit hours. The program was designed to enhance student awareness of federal law enforcement operations and employment opportunities.
3. Created and implemented in 2008, the SRSU-Rio Grande College Criminal Justice Internship Program with the Del Rio Police Department. This agency is responsible for municipal law enforcement for a population of approximately forty thousand. The internship offers criminal justice students an opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight into law enforcement at the local level -- police methods and operations, police administrations and community-oriented policing. Students may enroll for three credit hours (20 hours per week/15 weeks = 300 hours) and may opt to enroll for a subsequent three credit hours. This program was designed to enhance student awareness of state and local law enforcement operations and employment opportunities.
4. Created and implemented in 2007 the SRSU-Rio Grande College Criminal Justice Internship Program with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. This agency is responsible for the Correctional (Prisons) Units in the State of Texas. This internship offers the criminal justice student an opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight into the world of inmate life, prison operations, and correctional administration. Students may enroll for three credit hours (20 hours per week/15 weeks = 300 hours) and may opt to enroll for a subsequent three credit hours.
5. Created and implemented in 2007, the SRSU-Rio Grande College Criminal Justice Internship Program with the Office of Pretrial Services, Western District, United States District Court. This office is responsible for federal pretrial services relating to pretrial detainees arrested for felonies and misdemeanor offenses. The internship offers criminal justice students an opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight into pretrial services, detainment and incarceration, court administration and the federal trial process. Students may enroll for three credit hours (20 hours per week/15 weeks = 300 hours) and may opt to enroll for a subsequent three credit hours. This program was designed to enhance student awareness of the federal court system and pretrial services.
6. Created and implemented in 2006, the SRSU-Rio Grande College Criminal Justice Internship Program with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This agency is responsible for border protection relating to the importation of illegal aliens, drugs, firearms and other contraband. This internship affords the criminal justice student an opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight into federal law enforcement operations related to border security and operations. Students may enroll for three credit hours (20 hours per week/15 weeks = 300 hours) and may opt to enroll for a subsequent three credit hours. This program was designed to enhance student awareness of federal border operations and employment opportunities .
7. Created and implemented, in 2005, the SRSU-Rio Grande College Criminal Justice Internship Program with the Office of the Attorney General (Texas), Child Support Division. This office (CSD) is solely responsible for the establishment and enforcement of child support in the State of Texas. The internship offers criminal justice students an opportunity to gain valuable experience in the area of (1) child support litigation, (2) investigation, location, and collection, and (3) administrative policy and legal procedures. Students may enroll for three credit hours (20 hours per week/15 weeks = 300 clock-hours) and may opt to enroll for an additional three credit hours. The course has been designed to enhance student investigative skills and legal knowledge.
8. Created and implemented, in 2002, the Delta State University Police Internship Program within the Department of Public Safety. A select number of senior level criminal justice students were chosen each semester to serve a 300 clock-hour (20 hours per week/15 weeks) internship and were granted a tuition waiver for their services. The program afforded criminal justice students the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the field of policing and public relations. The program offered the student hands-on experience in police procedure, patrol operations, arrest, investigations, booking and incarceration, judicial process, law enforcement administration, and NCIC operations.
9. Created and implemented, in 2002, a criminal justice graduate studies program for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Yazoo City, Mississippi. The program was designed specifically for employees of the federal correctional institution who sought to pursue a Master of Science degree in criminal justice. The program served as an extension of the Delta State University criminal justice graduate program. Graduate coursework was offered at the prison training facility as evening classes each semester. The degree program required 36 semester graduate credit hours.
10. Created and implemented, in 1996, jointly with Dr. Donald A. Cabana, the USM Correctional Officer's (Basic and Advanced) Training Program. The program was designed to meet state statutory training mandates for Mississippi county jailers and administrators. The program consisted of two divisions: (1) basic fundamental operations of the county jail for line officers; and, (2) advanced county jail operations and administration for supervisory personnel.
11. Created and implemented, in 1995, the Pearl River Community College Student Internship Program. This program was designed for sophomore level students who desired field experience with a law enforcement, corrections, or juvenile agency at the state or local level. The program was structured as a three credit hour course requiring 300 clock-hours of field work. This program offered students hands-on experience in dispatching police, booking process of offenders, incarceration of offenders, administrative paperwork and filing process, the procedural process of the juvenile justice system, NCIC system, and exposure to county or state correctional operations. Students were encouraged to participate in all areas of the criminal justice arena to gain valuable field experience.
12. Created and implemented, in 1993, the USM Police Training Academy Program. This program was designed for senior and graduate level criminal justice students seeking state professional certification. The course was only one of very few in the nation that blends law enforcement training with an academic curriculum. The academy program was a ten week (400 hours) program that consists of four divisions: (1) academics; (2) police skills training; (3) firearms training; and (4) physical training. The course is listed as CJ400/500 Internship. The program was approved by the Mississippi State Board on Law Enforcement Officer's Standards and Training.
13. Created and implemented, in 1992, a course entitled, "Medicolegal Investigation of Death." This program was designed as a forty-hour course of instruction that examines the various forensic fields related to human death cases, to include; Anthropology, DNA, Entomology, facial reconstruction, Fingerprint I.D., Odontology, and Pathology. This course was created for criminal justice students, medical examiners, and police officers.
14. Created and implemented, 1992, a course entitled, "Family Violence: Investigation and Deterrence." This program was designed as a three-hour credit course of instruction that examines various forms of domestic violence to include: spouse abuse, child abuse and neglect, elder abuse, abuse inflicted on parents, sibling abuse, gay and lesbian abuse, etc. Police response to domestic violence is addressed; and casual theories are explored. This course is offered to criminal justice students, school teachers and administrators, marriage and family counselors, youth court personnel, Social workers, school nurses, ER nurses, and police officers.
15. Created and implemented, in 1990, the Institute for Law Enforcement Training and Education at USM, an Auxiliary/Reserve Law Enforcement Training Program. This program was designed to meet state statutory training requirements for auxiliary deputies and reserve police officers serving agencies within the southern region of Mississippi. The program was structured as a 120 hour course that consists of three divisions: (1) academics; (2) police skills training; and (3) firearms training. The program was approved by the Mississippi State Board on Law Enforcement Officer's Standards and Training.