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A portion of Steven's winning essay:
I went to college initially in 1990 to pursue a degree in Engineering, with hopes of becoming an astronaut. With Army ROTC and a willingness to do whatever it took, I thought that would be enough. However, after a few years I realized it was no longer what I needed to do with my life. Volunteering at a local High School led me on the path to Social Work, where I realized I could do a great deal of good serving as a role model and helping the students determine what they wanted to do with their lives. After completing a full-time internship working with youth who were arrested in Leon County, spending a good amount of my time in youth court, as well as working with several probation officers and diversion programs, the seed of a Law Enforcement career was planted in my mind. Unfortunately, the timing of the “calling” wasn’t practical at the time. I decided to earn my Masters degree in Higher Education Administration and spend more time developing my interest in helping college students achieve their goals. After about 10 years of working on several college campuses throughout the United States, I looked back and realized many of the skills I possessed from the experience could be extremely useful in Law Enforcement. Having had the opportunity to work with many campus-based police departments, I recognized that my calling was to work with this specialized field – where I could do maximum good with my training and interests. After researching – and even applying for – several municipal agencies, I came to terms with the fact that my skillset would clearly match better with the unique challenges of the University environment.
After volunteering with and learning more about campus policing, I have discovered that the relationship between administration and campus law enforcement is extremely important. In light of many of the major issues that have occurred in the recent past, from Virginia Tech to Northern Illinois, it is clear to me that there is a definite need to consider how these two parties work together in a more effective manner. While everyone who works in the University environment should be committed to maintaining the safety and security of the campus, the focus seems that the Campus Police or Security force is expected to see or know everything going on. Unfortunately, there is often a disconnect as many of these Officers and staff are either not familiar with the University environment or do not have the sensitivity to deal with the special population that are today’s college students. To this end, I have decided to pursue Law Enforcement with the intention of becoming a campus police officer. By doing so, I hope to use my training as a Student Affairs professional and officer of the law to encourage a better understanding between both Student Affairs staff and the Law Enforcement Community. Having experience specifically in student housing at four campuses, I have noticed that we often have competing priorities. While both offices may be attempting to reach the same goal, Law Enforcement is often seen as tough and mean to students, while Student Affairs is seen as fluffy and a slap on the hand – if not coddling students. There is often a lack of communication between the two agencies of the Institution, as well as understanding of the foundations on which they are built. To prepare myself, I have trained, studied and researched the benefits of gaining the practical experience of being a Police Officer in the University Environment. From engaging in training activities, selection committees and meetings with Officers, completing an ethnographic study of recruits at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy in Havana, Florida, as well as taking graduate level courses in Criminology, I feel that I am totally prepared to take on this challenge in order to gain more insight and hopefully help ensure that our college campuses are seen as safe, secure, as well as friendly and accessible. By encouraging administrators to be more comfortable to act on their instincts, as well as officers to be more understanding of the needs of today’s students, I would hope to be a leader and help establish ideas that will assist this special area of Law Enforcement. Eventually, I see myself earning a Doctorate in either Higher Education Administration or Criminology and becoming a consultant and trainer for law enforcement personnel, focusing specifically on the delivery of service on the college campus. This would focus on identifying officers who have the best potential for successful careers on a college campus, advocating for more financial support on the State and Federal level for campus police units, as well as developing safety and security programs on college campuses that will be appealing and educational for students. Another important aspect of this goal would be consulting with campus administration and police agencies, developing best practices for communication and a promotion of understanding each other’s “worlds”. With an increase in high risk behaviors and incivility from the Millennial generation currently enrolled in colleges, it is essential to understand not only the student from the inside – but help police who serve them to understand why students may react the way they do. While police are often trained to respond to “threat levels” and violations of law, the university environment encourages people to learn – often through making mistakes – to grow and develop into better citizens and future leaders. College students are not just “hooligans who don’t want to get jobs”, nor should they be allowed to run amuck receiving slaps on the hand for violating the law. Therefore, someone who can communicate about both student identity development and law enforcement theory could assist in bridging a gap that will foster a safe and secure learning environment.
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