Dr. Jerry Dowling stands next to a portrait of founding Dean Dr. George Killinger, who hired him in 1972.

In the early days of the College of Criminal Justice, Dr. Jerry Dowling started “distance learning” -- driving his car to Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Beaumont and Corpus Christi to help working police officers get a college education.

Now he has mastered distance learning on the computer, delivering his well-crafted classes to a diverse student body all over the state.

“We were doing distance learning but we did it by jumping in a car and going there,” quipped Dr. Dowling. “We had a large number of working police officers at that time, and we would run classes in back to back shifts, every Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. That way, if they switched shifts, they could still finish the class.”

After more than four decades teaching at Sam Houston State University, Dr. Dowling will retire in May, leaving a legacy in policing and law enforcement, including textbooks, professional licensing and testing, and models for patrol allocations, as well as thousands of students who have excelled in the field.

Dr. Dowling with Dr. Killinger in 1977.Dr. Dowling joined the then Institute of Contemporary Corrections in 1972 after getting a law degree from The University of Tennessee and serving in the FBI in Dallas and Los Angeles. In Dallas, he was a special agent for general crime cases, most involving fugitives, and in Los Angeles, he was assigned to a unit dealing with domestic terrorism, including bombings and the Weatherman, a violent left wing organization that opposed the Vietnam War.

“I chased Bill Ayers (the Weatherman leader) all around, but I never caught him,” Dowling recalled.

When he and his wife decided to settle down and start a family, he looked for another less dangerous line of work. Through a friend from the FBI, he got a phone interview with Dr. George Killinger, the founding Director of the Institute, and was hired on the spot.

Dr. Dowling has been teaching at SHSU for 42 years.It was the 1970s and a new federal initiative, called the Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP), provided grants to working officers to obtain a higher education. During the early days of criminal justice programs, Dr. Dowling taught undergraduate and graduate classes simultaneously in the field, even attracted police chiefs from Dallas and Port Arthur to his classes.

“It was a good example of how we were able to adapt the delivery of education to the needs of our clients,” Dr. Dowling said. “We were building relationships and our reputation in the field.”

Over the years, Dr. Dowling has continued to adapt his instruction, annually tweaking his lessons to meet the needs of the changing population. When he first started teaching, the profession was dominated by white males. Now many women and minorities have joined the field.

Dr. Dowling reflects on changes in criminal justice.“It took three or four years on campus before there were female students in my criminal justice classes,” Dr. Dowling said. “The really big change when I walk down the halls now is the number of female and minority students. It is a reflection of the broader acceptance of diversity.”

During his tenure at Sam Houston State University, Dr. Dowling was instrumental in licensing and promotional exams for police officers. Along with Dr. Larry Hoover, he wrote the first licensing exam for peace officers in Texas and Illinois and developed curricula for basic police training in Texas, Illinois, New York and Maine. He also is responsible for the training used for jailers at the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and for school resource officers in Kentucky. Finally, he worked at the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas as an instructor, providing classes on legal liability and labor relations for professionals in the field.

Dowling was also an avid writer, penning numerous books and dozens of article in his specialties of criminal law, pre-trial criminal procedures, and criminal investigation. He recently completed the 2nd Edition of Texas Criminal Law: Principles and Practices, due out later this year

Dowling was among five SHSU faculty to hit the 40 year milestone.Over the years, he molded many leaders in the criminal justice field and remains friends with them to this day. Take Gerry Ramker, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In the early days of computers, Ramker worked for Dr. Dowling, hauling boxes of punch cards to the mainframe across campus. Now Ramker is in charge of nationwide criminal justice databases for the Department of Justice.

Another student he fondly remembers is Larry Zacharias, the former Richardson Police Chief who serves as Chief of Police for the University of Texas at Dallas. During his college days, Zacharias was “long haired and bearded” who he hired to paint his house. Now, he leads police agencies.

Dr. Dowling reflects on the faculty and students he has known over the years.“You remember the people – the people you worked with and the relationships you built,” said Dr. Dowling. “You remember the students – the really good ones and the really bad ones. Some have become friends and you keep up with them. I was always pleased about that. You like to think you made a difference and helped them in the professional life and in the personal life to be a good human being.”

Dr. Dowling said he is leaving the College in good hands, with the up-and-coming crop of new professors who have joined the program.

“When I look around the College at the newer facility, they have different interests, but they share the same passions for the student. I feel good about these folks and I can walk about the door without any guilt.”

In his retirement, Dr. Dowling plans to continue teaching online courses.

“I think of retirement as working for yourself and what you want to do,” said Dr. Dowling.

Dr. Danielle Boisvert and her colleagues will study relationships among genes, environment and criminal behavior.

Faculty from the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology received Enhancement Research Grants from Sam Houston State University to continue their research projects on genes and criminal behavior and domestic violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Enhancement Research Grants, ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 each, are designed to allow faculty to continue a project beyond the designated timeline to help bolster the opportunity for external funding. Faculty have one year to complete their grant projects.

Dr. Lisa Muftic will continue research on domestic violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.The grants were awarded to Dr. Danielle Boisvert for “Biological and Environmental Factors Related to Stalking” and Dr. Lisa Muftic for “Identifying the Needs of Domestic Violence Victims.” In a related field, Sibyl Bucheli of the Department of Biological Sciences also received funded for “Ultra-Fine Scale Bacterial Sampling of Human Cadavers” to continue her research at the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility, one of only six “body farms” in the U.S.

Drs. Sibyl Bucheli and Aaron Lynne will study bacteria in human decomposition.Dr. Boisvert, along with her colleagues Drs. Todd Armstrong, Brian Boutwell, Matt Nobles, Sheree Hughes-Stamm and David Gangitano, will use the funds to process DNA samples in an ongoing series of biosocial experiments linking genes to criminal and anti-social behaviors. The College had a unique opportunity to collect DNA samples and surveys from an inmate population in a Southern correctional institution and wants to compare those results with 550 samples and surveys from college students.

The Department of Forensic Science will analyze DNA samples,While the grant is focused on stalking, the DNA samples and survey results also will be used in other biosocial projects to examine the relationship among genes, the environment and criminal or antisocial behavior. The data will compare 14 genetics factors linked to behaviors such as aggression, callousness, unemotionalism and empathy. Among the other issues under investigation are substance abuse, recidivism rates, and the relationship between low resting heart rate and criminal behavior.

The project includes graduates students Jessica Wells, Rick Lewis, Melissa Petkovsek, Yi-Fen Monica Lu, Mathias Woeckener and Tri Keah Henry, and undergraduate students Claudia Vasquez and Crystal Lara.

Dr. Muftic studies victimization issues in BiH.Dr. Lisa Muftic will use the funds to study the needs of domestic violence victims in Bosnia and Hergezovina (BiH). By interviewing domestic violence victims in the country, she hopes to discover the perceived barriers to getting assistance from police or social service agencies.

Dr. Muftic has worked extensively in BiH, formerly part of Yugoslavia, since 1996, studying issues of domestic violence, human trafficking and international criminal justice issues. During the 2012-2013 academic year, Muftic was a Fulbright Scholar and visiting faculty member at the University of Sarajevo.

As a doctoral student, Dr. Muftic began work in the country, comparing intimate partner violence experienced by Bosnian women who relocated to the U.S., and those who remained in their native land. While the study showed no differences in victimization and perpetration among the two groups of women, in the U.S., the Bosnian women tended to be more conservative on the issue and conformed more to traditional gender roles. Dr. Muftic has also studied police response and attitudes toward intimate partner violence in BiH.

Faculty and students conduct research at STAFS.Drs. Bucheli and Aaron Lynne of the Department of Biological Science have been studying the use of bacteria to determine time of death in homicide cases. Working at the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility, the pair are involved in a long term study, funded by the National Institute of Justice, to examine the changes in bacteria colonies during human decomposition to see if they could help establish the time of death. The enhancement grant with allow them to take short range sample, using facial tissue, to determine daily changes in bacteria at different intervals of the day.

“We now sample every day or every other day,” said Dr. Bucheli. “This grant will allow us to sample four times a day. We don’t know if the bacteria composition changes daily and whether it is relate to exposure to sunlight or temperatures.”

The study will include undergraduate and graduate students in biological sciences, including Daniel Haarmann, Lauren Smith, Courtney Miller, Kaylin Hensen, Keli King and Raymond Berry.

Danny Billingsley

By: Trey Cawley

During his 25 year tenure with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and as a former special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, alumnus Danny Billingsley has seen firsthand changes to policing and their investigations.

After a career in the military, Billingsley began his collegiate career at Sam Houston State University without a real plan for what he wanted to do after college.

“I was originally a Huntsville kid that went into the military right after high school,” Billingsley explained. “I spent four years in the military and as my career there started winding down, I knew that I wanted to attend a University. I looked at my options and it just made sense to attend Sam Houston than to go off somewhere else. I knew people there and had a head start on places I could work.”

Billingsley began his career with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.After completing his undergraduate degree, Billingsley began working on a Master’s degree while also taking a graduate internship with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to learn more about police work.

“During that internship, I spent a week with every division within each department,” said Billingsley. “I got some insight into what deputies and the officers on the street were actually doing in those positions.”

He soon had the opportunity to transform the internship into a full paying job.

“One day a staff member came in and said ‘You know, you are doing this for nothing on an internship’,” Billingsley recalled. “‘You should just fill out this application so we can start paying you.’ At that point, I had already passed my physicals to go back into the Marine Corps Aviation program but I decided not go through with it. The rest is, as you might call it, history.”

Working for the Houston Sheriff’s Department started a long investigative career in criminal intelligence, organized crime, homicide and internal affairs. It was during this time that Billingsley became a part of a new trend of college educated cops entering the police force.

Before his retirement, Billingsley was Chief Deputy at the Harris County Sheriff's Office.“I was a part of that first group of college educated cops and that was basically unheard of in local law enforcement,” said Billingsley. “Most agencies now do require two years of college or two years of military experience. There are more and more college educated cops on the local level now.”

He would later work for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for three years before deciding that the ATF was not a perfect fit for himself. He returned to the local level of policing with the Harris County Sheriff's Office to round out his career in public service. He would retire in 2008 as Chief Deputy of Field Operations Command.

Throughout his investigative career, he noticed how technologies changed the nature of his investigations.

“AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System), IBIS (Integrated Ballistics Identification System) and DNA have been huge for investigators,” said Billingsley. “They make our difficult jobs slightly easier.”

The AFIS fingerprint system in operation.However, even with these new technologies, Billingsley stresses the need for good people using these technologies.

“Nothing replaces the human mind,” he said. “These great advances in forensics can all be manipulated so they always need to be made better.”

The key is to not be left behind by technology, but instead to learn how to use it.

“Some people are afraid of technology,” said Billingsley “Not all cops, but many are. They don’t want to try something new. Don’t be afraid of technology. Embrace it.”

Billingsley recently participated at Let's Talk at SHSU.His message to future students wishing to follow a similar career path is to learn more about yourself and what kinds of work you would like to make a career.

“My advice for someone who wants to go into law enforcement is to go to school,” Billingsley said. “While there, study all the things that are available to you. Expose yourself to everything you can. Do as many internships as you are allowed to do because you will learn so much. Don’t be afraid to embrace people in the field because cops love to talk about what they do. Do ride-alongs, embrace them, and learn what is going on.”

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) recently launched a free, online professional development course for high school teachers assigned to teach Forensic Science. The Department of Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University developed the course.

Teacher compares fingerprints.The professional development course is available to all public K-12 districts and open-enrollment charter schools in Texas through Project Share, TEA’s online learning community. The 90-hour course, located at www.projectshare.org, provides academic and hands-on learning activities in forensic science, including safety and the scientific method, crime scene investigations, trace evidence, firearms and tools marks, fingerprints, forensic biology, forensic toxicology, questioned documents, and forensic anthropology.

“The benefit for teachers is that they will be given the required knowledge from an accredited university course with live professors,” said Dr. David Webb, program manager for the project. “For the university, it makes us review what high school students need if they want to take science courses in college so that we are far more joined up in the process.”

Dr. Jorn Yu was one of the professors that assisted with the TEA program.Faculty and staff at the Department of Forensic Science and the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas developed the online course. The Institute provides professional management training programs for law enforcement agencies across Texas. Among the faculty and staff that participated in course development were Dr. David Gangitano, Dr. Chi-Chung Jorn Yu and Kelsie Bryand from the Department of Forensic Science, and Dr. Webb and Andrea Hoke from LEMIT.

The course, delivered in 10 modules, includes presentations, experiments, pictures and graphics. The courses were filmed at Sam Houston State University.

Teachers identify bones in the human skeleton.“The objective of this project is to translate all this science from the graduate level to high schools,” said Dr. Gangitano. “I see this project as a wonderful opportunity for our high school students to encourage them to learn science. Forensic science is a nice example of how science can be applied in a very useful way."

In 2010, the State Board of Education designated several career and technical education (CTE) courses, including Forensic Science, that high school students may use to fulfill the fourth year math or science requirements for students to graduate from high school. The State Board for Educator Certification required that teachers assigned to teach Forensic Science complete specific professional development related to the course, and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) awarded SHSU a grant to write the professional development.

Teacher creates blood spatter patterns. The TEA selected Sam Houston because of its outstanding reputation in forensic science. The University offers a Master of Science in Forensic Science as well as undergraduate minors in Forensic Science and Forensic Anthropology. In addition to the academic program, the University houses the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility (STAFS), one of only six body donation facilities in the country dedicated to the study of forensic science as it applies to the human body in an effort to solve criminal cases and to develop the skills of crime scene investigators.

“It is nice to be acknowledged as one of the best forensic science programs in Texas,” said Dr. Webb.

Teachers photograph a mock crime scene.The Forensic Science professional development course is only one of the opportunities provided to high school instructors and students at SHSU’s College of Criminal Justice. Each summer, students interested in criminal justice can attend criminal justice summer camps that introduce participants to the diverse career opportunities in the field, including forensic science; local, state, and federal law enforcement; and crime scene investigation. Past camp speakers have included the DEA, U.S. Marshals, FBI, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Homeland Security, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, and STAFS.

STAFS also provides ongoing face-to-face classes for high school teachers. This summer’s offerings include the analysis of blood stains, forensic entomology, digital forensic, advanced CSI, and criminal investigations and the courtroom.

For more information about the summer programs, contact Dr. Joan Bytheway, Director of STAFS, at (936) 294-2310 or jab039@shsu.edu.

The Spring 2014 graduates from the College of Criminal Justice.

Ph.D. graduates line up inside the Coliseum.Among these were eight new Ph.D. graduates and 53 Master’s students, including 16 from the Master in Science in Forensic Science program, 11 from the Master of Science in Security Studies program and 21 from the online Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management program. Four graduate students earned their Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology, and one received the Master of Science in Criminal Justice. The Commencement also included more than 360 undergraduates in Criminal Justice and Victim Studies.

The Master of Science in Forensic Science cohortThe new Ph.D. graduates and their dissertations are:

• Dr. Cassandra Atkin-Plunk, “Examining the impact of problem-solving court clients’ perceptions of procedural justice on compliance with court mandates and recidivism.”
• Dr. Lisa Bowman-Bowen, “Answers to questions: Do words matter? A comparison of methods, distributions, and correlated data for three surveys: Monitoring the future, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, National Youth Survey Family Study.”
• Dr. Maria Koeppel, “A multi-theoretical exploration of college deviance based on sexual orientation.”


Dr. Christine Nix.

• Dr. Bora Lee, “The association between parenting styles and children’s delinquency.”
• Dr. Valerie Mahfood, “Costs of capital punishment in Texas: A social welfare economics analysis of criminal justice policy.”
• Dr. Christina Nix, “Hypnotically refreshed testimony in the United States: A socio-historical analysis of admissibility standards.”
• Dr. Melissa Ryan, “If all else fails: An analysis of civilian and police justified homicides in Texas.”
• Dr. Kevin Steinmetz, “A badge of honor and a scarlet letter: An ethnographic study of hacker culture.”

Security Studies students fight a fire as part of a CERT exercise.

Six Security Studies students took their crisis management class to the field so they can assist the community in times of natural or manmade disasters or major events.

The six graduate students, including Scott Vautrain, Lise Fischer, Juan Nunez, Jace Reeves, David Russo, and Charlotte Sanders, earned certificates from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) for Walker County, part of a Department of Homeland Security initiative to build a corps of citizen volunteers that can aid in times of emergency. The students learned basic disaster preparedness skills in fire safety, search and rescue, team organization and medical operations. They will be available to serve in the Huntsville area for community events or during such incidents as tornados, floods, wildfire, hurricanes or a terroristic attack.

Practicing first aid was part of the drill. The eight-week training sessions, taken as part of their crisis management class at Sam Houston State University, culminated with a live drill at the Walker County Service Center, which simulated the after effects of high winds in a wooded neighborhood. While awaiting the assistance of police and fire, who were delayed by fallen trees in the road, the students had to access the scene, search for and rescue victims, tend to the injured, battle fires, turn off electricity and gas, and identify hazards.

To tackle the scene, the students formed teams, bolstered by veteran CERT volunteers, which included Incident Command, Operations, Safety, Public Information, Logistics and Supplies, and Planning. Utilizing handheld radios for communication, the teams were dispatched to different assignments, such as putting out fires, checking utilities and rescuing victims.

To protect people and property, all utilities are shut off.The group found six victims – two of them fatalities -- including several trapped in a trailer, a man on the ground, and a murder victim. They tended to victims, using basic first aid skills to address their injuries. The teams also identified a potentially hazardous tank at the scene and unblocked doorways jammed by debris. When a murder victim was found in the woods, they secured the scene until police arrived.

“I had my adrenaline going as soon as I heard voices and screams from the trailer,” said Russo, the first on the “scene.”

Students and volunteers prepare for their mission in remote neighborhood hit with high winds. Students donned real life equipment, including hard hats, eye protection, medical masks, CERT vest, and gloves and had access to a trailer full of supplies during the exercise. They put fire out with fire extinguishers, used bandages and gauze to treat injuries, and wielded pliers to turn off utilities. “It was really cool to see it all out here, rather than in the classroom,” said Fischer, who took the lead in attending to victims in the trailer.

The CERT certification was part of an Academic Community Engagement class, which combines community service and academic instruction. It requires students to participate in outside activities in the community as part of the class.

Students worked with CERT volunteers to rescue "victims."“I think ACE courses are really important,” said Dr. Magdalena Denham, a professor at the College of Criminal Justice. “When you are getting into the security field, practical experience is very important. This allows the student to look at theory and then apply it. You learn what the community looks like and how police and emergency medical services operate. You learn how they talk and how they address one another in the field.”

Denham has used ACE elements in other classes to give her students a leg up in the job market. Another class was required to get certification in emergency management and the National Incident Management System, two model program in crisis management offered by the Department of Homeland Security. Another class developed a risk assessment plan for a faith-based, non-profit school in Conroe, making security recommendation based on budgetary concerns.

Students discover a "body" in the woods during the exercise.Vautrain believes the experience will come in handy on his resume and in his future career as an intelligence analyst.

“The Department of Homeland Security enterprise includes federal, state and local agencies and private companies working together,” said Vautrain. “You get to be a part of that homeland security enterprise.”

SHSU students joined the Walker County CERT Team following the drill.The Walker County CERT program, conceived by Emergency Management Coordinator Butch Davis, was launched in 2008. It has grown significantly over the last six years and now includes 129 members, including adult, teen and intercollegiate teams as well as representatives from the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, with six members and two signers.

Among the key leaders of CERT are Joe Connell, Walker County CERT Coordinator; Paramedic Supervisor D.J. Casburn and Medical Paramedic Chase Fryar for medical operations; Paul Alexander of the Disaster Mortuary Operation Response Team for disaster psychology training; and Lt. Charlie Perkins of the Walker County Sheriff’s Office on threat and safety issues involving terrorism and narcotic activities.

Davis has been successful in getting grants to expand logistics in the program, including well-equipped tool kits and simulation equipment (including realistic wound makeup for “victims”), mobile units with a variety of resources, tools for field operations and training.

The incident commanders who oversee the entire scene.Walker County CERT is part of a broader partnership, which includes the local fire and police departments, Citizens on Patrol, and faith groups. Its members have or will be used to support shelter operations; to assist with the setup of points of distribution for medication in large scale medical emergency; to implement identification systems during hurricane; to support the activation of the Emergency Operation Center or to help with special occasions and community events, such as Raven Bike Ride or the Fair on the Square.

As part of its continuing training, Walker County CERT recently observed an exercise by the East Texas Mounted Search and Rescue Team and will participate in a drill at Gibbs Ranch in May on higher level applications of the Incident Command Center.

The College of Criminal Justice will welcome students back with a week full of events to introduce them to the many opportunities available at the College.

Tue, Sept 2, 2014
Internship 101
Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom

Wed, Sept 3, 2014
CJ Movie Night
Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom

Thursday, Sept 12, 2014
Student Organization Fair
CJ Lobby

Dr. Todd Armstrong studies the links between genes and crime.

Researchers at Sam Houston State University have found a genetic characteristic that interacts with childhood adversity to predict higher rates of crime in an incarcerated sample.

The study is the first in a series that will examine contributions of genetic and environmental variations to criminal behavior. Published in Psychiatric Genetics, this study examines the role of monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), which has been linked to aggression, violence, and various types of childhood adversity in prior research. The study found MAOA genotype interacted with childhood adversity to predict self-reported criminal behavior and arrest rates for both property and violent crime.

“These findings indicate that gene-by-environment interactions are important for understanding variation in crime amongst populations with high base rates of criminal activity,” said Dr. Todd Armstrong, the principal investigator of the study.

The study was based on a sample of about 100 inmates from a correctional institution in the Southern United States. Sample members were convicted of wide variety of charges, including violent crimes, drug offenses, property crimes, disorderly conduct and weapons offenses. In addition to collecting and analyzing DNA, researchers conducted surveys of offenders and examined their criminal histories.

“No one has done this type of research with an incarcerated sample in North America,” said Armstrong. “It can help us understand the context and processes that link genes with criminal behavior and provide an avenue for understanding individual variation in the tendency to engage in crime.”

In addition to unravelling the links among genes, childhood adversity and crime, the findings may help to develop better intervention programs for at-risk children in the future.

The study was a collaborative effort between the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, and the Department of Forensic Science at Sam Houston State University. It was authored by Drs. Armstrong, Brian Boutwell and David Gangitano as well as graduate students Shahida Flores, Mary Symonds and Shawn Keller.

Dr. David Gangitano (center) and students analyze DNA samples. The inter-disciplinary approach has led to a new course at Sam Houston State University in Behavioral Genetics, which provides students with an understanding of behavior genetics and the influence of genes and the environment on emotion, personality and behavior.

The research group is currently exploring the relationship between a number of genetic characteristics and different forms of crime and delinquency in the incarcerated sample and among a sample of University students. These studies are considering potential links between genetic characteristics and stalking and the role that genetic characteristics related to serotonin function play in the development of patterns of crime and delinquency.

A copy of the full study is available from Psychiatric Genetics at http://journals.lww.com/psychgenetics/toc/publishahead

Mon, Sep 15, 2014
9:30 - 11:00 A.M.
Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom

The College of Criminal Justice will host Dr. Bruce Budlowe, director of the University of North Texas Health Science Center's Institute of Investigative Genetics and vice chair of the Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics. He will discuss "Bioterrorism and Microbal Forensics."

Thu, Oct 2, 2014
Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom

Fri, Oct 24, 2014
9:30 - 11:00 A.M.
Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom

The College of Criminal Justice will host Dr. Marvin Kohn, a Professor of Criminology at the University of Florida and expert on juvenile delinquency.

Tue, Nov 11, 2014
Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom

Two faculty members in the Department of Forensic Science recently earned distinguished certifications in their respective fields.

Dr. Joan Bytheway, an Associate Professor and Director of the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility (STAFS), earned Diplomate status, the highest certification, from the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, and Dr. Chi-Chung Jorn Yu, an Associate Professor, attained the certification as a Diplomate of the American Board of Criminalistics (ABC). Similar to other medical or scientific-related certifications, the designation recognized individuals for their special qualifications in the field.

“We are very fortunate to have such highly qualified faculty at Sam Houston State University. We value tremendously their professional achievements,“ said Dr. Sarah Kerrigan, Professor and Chair of the Department of Forensic Science at SHSU. “We are not only committed to advancing the careers of our faculty, but the forensic science community as a whole.”

Forensic Anthropology Certification

Dr. Bytheway (center) is the Director of STAFS. The forensic anthropologist certification does not merely signify minimal competencies to practice, but rather it denotes the highest achievement in the field. It is based on personal and professional records of education and training, experience and achievement. It requires rigorous examination in theory and practice and recognizes high standards of ethics, conduct and professional practice.

The practice of forensic anthropology involves the analysis of skeletal, badly decomposed or otherwise unidentifiable remains in a legal or humanitarian context. It applies standard science techniques developed by physical anthropology to analyze human remains and aid in the detection of crime.

In addition to assisting in locating and recovering human remains, forensic anthropologists can assess the age, sex, ancestry and stature based on skeletal features. Forensic anthropologists frequently work with forensic pathologists, odontologists and homicide investigators to identify remains, document trauma and estimate time of death.
Criminalistics Certification

Dr. Yu work with students in the lab.Criminalistics is the scientific study and evaluation of physical evidence in the commission of a crime, including drug analysis, crime scene reconstruction, molecular biology and DNA, fire debris and explosives, photography and trace evidence.

Certification as a Diplomate of the ABC, denoted by the designation D-ABC, is awarded to individuals with a BS/BA in a natural science, two years of forensic laboratory or teaching experience and upon successful completion of any ABC Examination. The examinations are: Comprehensive Criminalistics Examination (CCE), Drug Analysis (DA), Molecular Biology (MB), Fire Debris Analysis (FD), Trace Evidence- Hairs and Fibers (THF) and Trace Evidence – Paints and Polymers (TPP).

The CCE is a comprehensive examination covering all disciplines found in a crime laboratory as well as the areas of safety and ethics. Diplomate status is designed for laboratory directors, supervisors, educators, or where Specialty Examinations have not been planned or developed, (e.g. explosives, soils, etc.) or those no longer able to maintain the proficiency testing requirement for their Fellow status.

Skeletons provides information about the sex, height and ethnicity of the victim.Dr. Bytheway founded STAFS at Sam Houston State University, one of only six willed body donation facilities in the U.S. for the study of forensic anthropology. In addition to research, the facility helps to train law enforcement officers and high school forensic teachers in various aspects of crime scene investigations.

Dr. Bytheway specializes in forensic anthropology/human osteology and taphonomy with an interest in bone pathology and trauma. Her research involves the areas of sex determination of the fragmented os coxa utilizing three dimensional data, effects of fire trauma to human skeletal remains, and non-metric anomalies of the human skeleton.

Prior to joining the faculty at Sam Houston State University, Dr. Bytheway was a Forensic Anthropologist/Lab Analyst for a project in Baghdad, Iraq involving the reconstruction and analysis of skeletal remains of individuals of the Iraqi population found in mass graves. As a result, she produced a number of technical forensic reports for the Regime Crimes Liaison Office, United State Embassy, Baghdad, Iraq and the Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, MO. She also has served as a peer reviewer in more than 130 forensic cases and consults for multiple law enforcement agencies in southeast Texas.

Dr Yu tests evidence found at crime scenes.Dr. Yu is involved in several areas of criminalistics in the Department of Forensic Science. In 2014, he was promoted to Fellow in the Criminalistics Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

He studied testing techniques for amphetamines and a mold toxin and has assisted as a forensic advisor for a study of the NIBIN ballistics database and the development of an online certification program for forensic science teachers for the Texas Education Association. Most recently, he collaborated by Dr. Ilona Petrikovics on a new biomarker for cyanide poisoning.

Dr. Yu’s current research interests focus on forensic chemistry, examination of trace evidence and analysis of pattern evidence. His research lab is working on developing novel analytical techniques for the application in forensic science.

Before joining SHSU, Dr. Yu was a forensic scientist at Forensic Science Center, Taipei, Taiwan. As a practitioner in crime scene investigation, he had numerous opportunities to resolve major crimes within the Taipei municipal area. During his graduate training, he completed a study using different algorithms to search infrared spectra for automobile coatings by the use of Micro-FT-IR (a Microscope coupled to a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy).

Cyberbullying creates fear among students about being victimized at school, a recent study by Sam Houston State University found.

While traditional bullying still creates the most fear among students, cyberbullying is a significant factor for fear of victimization at school among students who have experienced bullying or disorder at a school, such as the presence of gangs. The fear from cyberbullying is most prominent in minority populations.

Dr. Ryan Randa“It cannot be overstated – online victimization has offline consequences, and those consequences may have a number of negative effects for students, including fear of victimization,” said Dr. Ryan Randa, Assistant Professor at Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice.

Cybercrime is any behavior performed through digital or electronic media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicate hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort on others. Studies have shown that bullying and cyberbullying may lead to such consequences for victims as decreased academic performance, diminished perceptions of safety, depression, anxiety, reduced self-esteem, self-harm, emotional distress and suicide ideation.

The study was based on a survey of more than 3,500 students from ages 12-18 from across the nation. The students were asked questions about bullying and cyberbullying, including whether hurtful information about them were posted on the internet or if they had been insulted or threated by email, instant messaging, text messaging or online gaming program. The students were also asked if they had been excluded from online friends or buddy lists.

About 7 percent of the students in the survey said they had experienced cyberbullying, while 29 percent said they were the victims of traditional bullying.

Gary Teeler, Assistant Commander, Texas Game Warden

Alumnus Gary Teeler began his career as a Texas Game Warden in the woods of Van Zandt County, a one-man station in the middle of Northeast Texas. Eighteen years later, he serves as Assistant Commander of the law enforcement arm of Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) Department, providing strategic planning and oversight for the division.

“You sign up to be a game warden to work in the outdoors, but many years later you wind up working inside an office with no windows,” joked Teeler, a 2011 graduate of the Master of Science in Leadership and Management program.

The beach at Lake Tawakoni in Van Zandt County. Teeler started his career in a rural county located halfway between Dallas and Tyler that included a big lake -- Lake Tawakoni – and variety of illegal hunting.

“When you are out in the middle of nowhere, some people think no one is watching,” said Teeler. “I was surprised at the inventiveness of certain people. Seasons didn’t matter and neither did day or night. Every day was a new day, and you would just roll into another thing.”

His second assignment in Austin – his hometown – couldn’t have been more different. In the heavily populated area, there were four game wardens to patrol Lakes Travis and Austin, as well as the illegal hunting going on in subdivisions and golf courses.
“Wherever there were animals, there was someone hunting them,” said Teeler.

While in the field, Teeler began his passion for training. While in Van Zandt County, where he frequently backed up law enforcement in a two county area, and later took courses in various policing issues and provided in-service workshops for his fellow game wardens in such topics as field sobriety testing . He also dealt with numerous domestic violence calls and dedicated time to learning how to better handle these situations. He became an instructor on family violence, child abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking investigations for the Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA), and he continues to teach courses for them on a regular basis.

After six years in the field, Teeler was assigned to the Game Warden Training Academy, where he served as cadet class coordinator. He was responsible for setting the schedule for the seven-month academy that trained recruits as state peace officers as well as wildlife law enforcement specialists. During his time at the academy, he helped introduced new in-service courses, including crisis intervention to teach officers how to effectively deal with people with mental health issues, and a simunitions course, which uses non-lethal weapons to instruct officers on proper use of force in different scenarios.

The obstacle course at the Texas Game Warden Academy.When the Game Warden Training Academy relocated to Hamilton County, Teeler wanted to stay in Austin and promoted to Assistant Commander, where he is responsible for many oversight activities for the division, such as audits, inspections, property inventory and fleet management. In addition, he handles strategic planning and technology needs and grant management for the TPW Law Enforcement Division.

During his tenure, Teeler has helped in the receipt of about $6.5 million in grant funds from such entities as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Port Security, Homeland Security and the Governor’s Office, mostly to provide new equipment for wardens in the field. By the end of the year, wardens will be equipped with mini I-pads to accompany their I-phones, which will allow them the capability to do quick record checks in the field. Teeler helped receive funding for 50 mobile fingerprint readers to get on-the-spot identification of possible criminals.

Teeler (right) congratulates the 2013 Officer of the Year for the Association of Midwest Fish and Game Law Enforcement. Teeler also stays connected to the broader law enforcement community. In addition to being an instructor TMPA, he is Vice-President of the Association of Midwest Fish and Game Law Enforcement Officers (AMFGLEO), which cover 16 states and several Canadian provinces, and serves on the Executive Council of the Texas Interoperable Communications Coalition (TxICC), a statewide group of representatives that have come together in a cooperative effort to facilitate the planning, developing, and financing of a statewide interoperable public safety wireless communication system . He also sits on a curriculum development committee at Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, which revised requirements for basic peace officer course.

“That’s what it’s all about,” said Teeler. “You get more stuff done by working with other people than you ever will get done on your own.”

After years of working for Texas Parks and Wildlife, Teeler decided to go back for his Master’s degree to see how theory applied to his practices in the field.

“They make a lot more sense now,” said Teeler. “It was a much more enjoyable experience. I took the Master of Leadership and Management Weekend Program. and I looked forward to going to class once a month. I liked interacting with the other folks and a made some good friends. I liked having a chance to come back after working so many years and to look at the theories again.”
For criminal justice students who are seeking careers as game wardens, Teeler has two pieces of advice: be careful what you do as a student and become familiar with the day-to-day operations of the job you are interested in.
“It is a very competitive world,” Teeler said. “If there are two candidates that are equal and one has something negative on their record or background, the other one will most likely get the job. “

Because a bachelor’s degree is required to become a game warden, students need to do something else to make themselves stand out. He suggests dong ride-along with game warden so you get familiar with the lifestyle and be more comfortable in the interviewing process. “You need to know what game wardens do,” he said.

Tipton examines teeth in the lab.

To help identify fire victims from arsons, plane crashes, wildfires, terrorist attacks or genocide, a Master’s graduate from the Department of Forensic Science is investigating the use of teeth to extract DNA.

Samantha Tippen, who graduated with a Master of Science in Forensic Science this spring, returned to the laboratory over the summer to continue her project on incinerated teeth. She hopes to publish several papers on the results of the study that examines the histology and DNA in teeth.

“When people are burned, whether it is in a fire or a plane crash, there may not be anything left but the teeth,” said Tippen. “Teeth are the best way to get DNA if there is no blood or tissue available.”

Tippen got the idea for the project as an intern at the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility, one of only six body donation sites in the country for the study of forensic anthropology. While DNA is commonly extracted from blood, semen and saliva, fewer samples are taken from teeth, which are often the last to survive a fire. In a review of academic literature, Tippen found that no one had researched the combination of histology and DNA extraction from teeth after fires. She worked with Dr. Sheree Hughes-Stamm, a DNA specialist from the Department of Forensic Science, on the project.

Tippen studies cross section of a tooth."“What we want to identify is whether there are certain teeth and parts of the teeth that are more vulnerable to damage so that we can identify the teeth that will be more reliable for DNA identification after incineration,” Dr. Hughes-Stamm said.

For her experiments, Tippen used teeth within the mandible and maxilla from remains at STAFS, subjected to 1600°C heat for an initial intense heat blast and an additional 300°C heat for another half-hour.

Because teeth are hard, it is a challenge to work with them in the laboratory to dissect samples, Tippen said. To address this issue, Tippen used a system to dissolve the calcium in the tooth and sent the samples to M.D. Anderson to provide cross sections of the tooth for study.
What Tippen discovered is that although natural and incinerated teeth do break down, minute amounts of DNA can be extracted and used to develop a DNA profile to identify the victim.

“One of the important findings for forensic labs is that, even though there may appear to be no DNA present, they should run through the process anyway to try and get a DNA profile as the kits used for identification are very sensitive,” said Tippen.

A human tooth preserved in plastic.In the histology project, Tippen studied what happens to teeth post-mortem. In all samples – both natural and incinerated – she found the crown disintegrates, while the root remains thick and consistent. In incinerated samples, the remaining tooth will fracture and collapse. Even though the teeth contained no visible nuclei, minute amounts of DNA could still be extracted. In testing different teeth, including incisors, canines, pre-molars, and molars, she found that pre-molar and canine teeth yielded the best results because they were relatively protected from the fire in her experiments. Previous studies have found that the molars typically present as the best sample type as they lie within the back of the mouth and are therefore better protected from the heat. Future studies that better mimic forensic cases involving fire would be expected to produce similar results to these conclusions.

A disintegrated tooth under the microscope."While blood and tissue typically yield high amounts of DNA, in comparison, teeth yield very little. In teeth, 50 picograms of DNA are considered a good sample, but in her incinerated samples, Tippen was getting less than 20 picograms of DNA. However, even in those small cases, Tippen found enough to create a partial DNA profile that could help identify the victim.

While further study is needed, Tippen said the experiment may assist in identifying victims in the forensic field.

Tippen is currently applying for jobs as a research assistant, and she plans to pursue a career in medical genetics after getting her Ph.D. degree. This project has encouraged her to look at genetics to see if they are related to rare diseases that affect individuals.

“I would rather do something that could have a huge impact and fail trying, then repeat the kinds of experiments that are done all the time,” Tippen said, reflecting on both her research into extracting DNA from teeth and future research into rare diseases.

Instructors demonstrate how to test dangerous toxic substances.

For two days, the grounds of Sam Houston State University looked like the scene of an environmental disaster.

Leaking barrels littered the landscape. Mounds of garbage piled up on the pristine lawns. Glowing green liquid flowed into culverts. Men and women in protective suits or gloves picked through the scene, carrying away samples of water, soil and “toxic” materials.

Participants practice techniques to retrieve liquids from chemical drums.But no need to worry. Newly trained environmental investigators, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, sanitarians and code enforcers, were on hand to contain and investigate the impromptu disasters. They were part of Project EnCRiPT, a new program at the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas that trains environmental enforcement officers from across the country on how to investigate cases.

“It does raise awareness so they can go back to their agencies and be more prepared,” said Andrea Hoke, program manager for Project EnCriPT (Environmental Crime Program Training for Environmental Enforcement). “Environmental crime is not something you see a lot about on TV. There are no CSIs or NCISs based on environmental crime.”

Water samples are taken from a drainage ditch.The live training was just a part of the new initiative, funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, to strengthen civil and criminal enforcement efforts at the local, county, state, and tribal levels. LEMIT also launched free, online courses for working professionals on a wide variety of issues in the field. The project currently offers two online classes on ethics and media relations.

The courses are presented online with an innovative approach to learning by combining both visual and auditory aspects. The project also delivers some courses as a cohort, which allows colleagues from across the country to take classes together and participate in online discussions and activities.

Teams learn how to investigate illegal dump sites.Future courses will include:

• An Introduction to Environmental Investigation explores the components of basic environmental investigation recognition and execution
• Illegal Dumping of Non-Hazardous Waste defines solid waste, identifies public perceptions, reviews the components of scene processing and discusses the documentation process
• Health and Safety for Environmental Enforcement Inspectors involves operational and safety planning, tactics and techniques to mitigate threats, and site specific health and safety plans

Instructors demonstrate how to get samples from a large or an underground storage tank.The live training, which is expected to be offered regionally throughout the United States, provided the fundamentals of environmental investigations and offered hands on training on the skills and equipment needed to ensure public safety and to prepare a strong case for court. It provided practice in documenting, photographing, sketching and mapping scenes; retrieving water and soil samples near streams, in barrels and from underground containers; avoiding cross contamination of samples; and processing solid waste debris and soils.

The inaugural live training class for Project EnCriPT. Among those that participated in the inaugural course were law enforcement, code enforcement and public health officers from throughout the state, including representative from the Abilene Marshal’s Division, Beaumont Police Department, Brazos County Constable Precinct 1, Crockett Environmental Enforcement, Harris County Constable Precinct 5, Harris County Pollution Control Service, Houston Police Department, Huntsville Fire Department, Lower Colorado River Authority, Pasadena Health Department, Montgomery County Constable’s Office, San Jacinto Constable Precinct I, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Game Wardens, Walker County Environmental Crime Unit and West Columbia Police Department.

“(It was a) very good course with great instructors,” said one participant. “(It make me think) how this applies to my line of work on the county level and who I can contact for assistance dealing with environmental issues. (It allow me) to be able to recognize haz mat and environmental issues as they pertain to my job.”

Collecting soil samples as evidence of contamination.In addition to two days in the field, participates received a day in the classroom with lessons on the history of environmental enforcement, hazardous substances and toxicology, officer health and safety, personal protection devices and work practices; detection and monitoring equipment; and proper ways to handle and analyze evidence.

The courses were taught by professional instructors from the EPA as well as local environmental enforcement officials, who provided examples of investigations they have conducted and the challenges they have faced. The sessions stressed the importance of officer health safety for all involved at the scene. Participants were also exposed to state of the art equipment and techniques that are used by the EPA to investigate the scene, both to protect public safety and to build cases for prosecution or civil action.

For more information about Project EnCRiPT or to register for a course, visit http://www.lemitonline.org/environmental/index.html

Tue, Oct. 14, 2014
5:00 - 6:00pm
LSC Ballroom

The Center for Global Journalism and Democracy at Sam Houston State University presents Shyima Hall, who was sold into slavery at eight years old by her poverty-stricken Egyptian parents. A victim of human trafficking, she was smuggled into the United States by a wealthy Cairo couple as a child slave to care for the couple's five children.

Capt. William Wheat of the TDCJ Beto Academy.

Like Dr. George J. Beto, one of the founders of the College of Criminal Justice, Capt. William Wheat wants to be an agent of change for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).

Wheat has been a student of the agency and the corrections field throughout his 10 year career with TDCJ, first on the Robertson Unit in Abilene and most recently as Captain at the Beto Academy in Region II in Palestine. In the fall, he will attend Sam Houston State University for the Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management program on a scholarship to develop the research needed to improve safety for the public and to rehabilitate offenders before their release.

“It does mean a lot to me to get a scholarship from the people I work for,” said Wheat. “Although I had other opportunities, this is the route I wanted. I am a traditionalist. I wanted to go to Sam Houston because the offenders built the building and Dr. George J. Beto was one of its founders. He created the Windham School District. There is a close relationship between the College and TDCJ. There is a lot of history here.”

Capt. Angela Chevalier of the TDCJ Ramsey Academy. Wheat and Capt. Angela Chevalier of the Ramsey Academy in Region III in Rosharon were selected for the 2014 TDCJ/Correctional Management Institute of Texas scholarship for the intensive weekend program designed for working professionals in the field. Chevalier hopes to use the degree to teach the next generation of correctional leaders after her retirement.

Chevalier said she always wanted to work in the criminal justice field and, after graduating from Sam Houston State University with her undergraduate degree, she chose a career in corrections. She wanted to go back for a Master’s degree, but her schedule was too erratic. With a regular schedule at the training academy and funding, she can now pursue her dream.

“If it were not for the scholarship, I could not continue my education,” Chevalier said. “After completing my degree, I plan on teaching criminal justice at a College or University. The one thing that I want to impart is that our field will never go away and that there will always have to be leaders to show what lies ahead. We are the people who keep the world safe. There will always be a need for criminal justice and corrections professionals.”

An academy class on proper handcuffing techniques. Chevalier has worked her way up through the ranks at TDCJ, beginning at the Wynne Unit in Huntsville as a correctional officer supervising one to several hundred inmates. She began her supervisory career at the Terrell Unit in Rosharon and later served at the Darrington Unit in Rosharon and the Connally in Kenedy, where she rose to the rank of Captain.

At the Region III training academy, she oversees the training of new correction officers as well as continuing and specialty training opportunities for officers and staff at 20 correctional facilities in the region. All employees are required to take training annually.

“There are a lot of moving parts,” she said. “Every single person in the region, whether secure or non-secure staff, come to this academy at least once a year.”

After leaving the U.S. Marine Corps, Wheat began working at the Robertson Unit, a maximum security facility. He was promoted as the Unit Safe Prisons Program Coordinator, where he investigated all cases of sexual assault. As a Lieutenant, he supervised both day and night shift on the unit.

Cadets spend hours in the Academy
classroom receiving core curriculum instruction. Ten months ago, he was assigned to the Region II training academy, where 5,000 employees from seven facilities in the area pass through his doors annually. All new correctional officers take 216 hours of training, while existing employees are required to take a 40 hour refresher course. He also offers specialty courses, including munitions, firearm and defensive tactics for officers and correctional awareness for non-custodial staff.

“It’s a challenge,” said Wheat. “The training we use, from my perspective, keeps us on the straight and narrow. If you want to change things systematically, the most effective way to do that is through training. We have a responsibility to the public for what we do. The success of the job we do will be obvious when these offenders return to society and become a part of our neighborhoods and community.”

Wheat is very interested in the history of the TDCJ and has learned a lot about the state’s system. He knows to make changes it is important to get an education and to back up proposals with research.

“We are a bellwether for corrections in the U.S,” Wheat said. “I would like to be a part of our continued leadership in this field.”

Wed, Sep 24, 2014
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom

With the rash of armed robberies of cell phone stores and pawn shops in the Houston area, ATF Special Agent Alex Johny is assigned to a task force to catch the criminals behind those serial attacks.

An agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Johny has been assigned to the gun group for the last six years, targeting convicted felons, illegal aliens, gangs and other organized groups with firearms. Using confidential informants or undercover buys, Johny investigates guns used in crimes or the individuals that cannot legally possess them.

“Unlike other crimes, like drugs, it is not illegal for everyone to possess guns,” said Johny. “In fact, it is a legal transaction for most people. But it is illegal if you are a convicted felon, if you are an illegal immigrant, if you are dishonorably discharged from the military, or otherwise prohibited.”

Johny investigates cases by doing his homework, trying to identify perpetrators by working with confidential informants, street names or nicknames.Once he identifies a suspect, he has to verify that, in fact, it is illegal for that individual to possess a gun. For example, some offenders charged with felony cases plead out to lesser crimes that do not restrict gun ownership.

Once an identification is made and a felony conviction is confirmed, ATF generally sets up a “buy” on the streets. These operations take significant planning, including surveillance work, operations and rescue contingencies for agents in case the deal goes south.

“Even when you have a plan, you have to adapt and overcome the situation,” said Johny. “You have to use your instincts.”

In addition to catching offenders, ATF agents are responsible for preparing the case for prosecution as well as the administrative duties of forfeiting and destroying weapons. If a gun was stolen, they are also charged with getting it back to the rightful owner.

“I love the uniqueness (of each case),” said Johny. “You never know what is going to happen on any given day.”

Like the time he caught a Liberty County Police Captain, who was convicted of committing mail fraud and stealing ammunition from the Cleveland Police Department’s evidence room. The case involved 500 guns that went missing from police custody.

The jury found the former evidence room technician guilty of converting ammunition given to the police department for his own use, which was then either exchanged to purchase 86 new weapons or sold to customers of his private business. He also used department letterhead to purchase training pistols which were instead given to the owner of a local gun shop.

While Johny concentrates on guns, the mission of the ATF goes well beyond firearms. The federal agency is charged with protecting communities from violent criminals and organizations involved in the use and trafficking of illegal fireworks; the illegal use and storage of explosives; acts of arson, bombing or domestic terrorism; and the illegal diversion of alcohol and tobacco products.

Before joining ATF, Johny worked as a parole officer in Harris County for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Parole Division, and as a patrol officer for the Houston Police Department. With a caseload of 60-70 defendants, the parole office taught him time management, priorities and organization skills. He credit the Houston Police Department with teaching him to be a police officer.

“The Houston Police Department taught me to be a police officer,” said Johny. “At the end of the day, it taught me the bread and butter of police work.”

For students interested in pursuing a career in a federal agency, Johny recommends “staying out of trouble, completing your college education and getting some real life work experience.”
“Get real life experience, whether it is in the military or a police department,” he said. “You are better able to handle things if you have a well-rounded education, a good skill set and real life experience.”