Four Jackson State University Public Safety Department officers have completed an intensive 12-week Certified Investigator Program offered by the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy in Pearl that included dismantling organized drug organizations and death investigations.
Chief Thomas E. Albright said the program, which lasts from January to October, is designed to “broaden our knowledge on how to handle investigations we are not used to seeing.”
In addition, Albright said, “It opened our eyes and helped us establish a network of people and relationships. We now have individuals who can give us recommendations and resources to get the job done better.”
JSU sent different levels of officers to the training: a sergeant, a deputy chief, an investigator and a planning and research officer. Albright said some of the training modules required three days while others involved 1½ weeks.
Among those who attended was Deputy Chief James Lyons, who commands JSU’s patrol.
“Since investigations fall under my purview this training was helpful for becoming more knowledgeable on the technical aspects of investigations. There were classes taught by FBI agents and the DEA,” Lyons said.
“Now that we are officially recognized as state-certified investigators, we have credibility when asking for resources for our department. There are so many things we need. However, we’ve been able to acquire a few things from agencies that had a few extra items, such as DNA kits. Overall, we have been exposed to other agencies with experience of working major cases that you often see on the news.”
Investigator Detra Ward described the months-long experience as beneficial to her law-enforcement career.
“The in-depth training included minor crimes, human trafficking, drug organizations and money laundering. The relationships we formed will help us with our investigations on campus,” she said. “Because of the wealth of knowledge gained in this class, we are now competent to share this same information with employees and officers at the university.”
JSU now has connections with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and Mississippi Crime Laboratory.
Officer Michael Ivy of planning and research for public safety said, “You never know where a case will lead you or what specialty you may need. An officer may be proficient in some areas, but certain types of investigations are so complex that they require another specialty. This gives us a chance to network and bring in specialized people at little or no cost to the university. In turn, they can use us in areas in which we specialize.”
JSU Sgt. David Hall also said he feels more equipped.
“I’ve been in law enforcement since 1998, and in the first two weeks of this class I was in awe. That’s why this course was so important to me as well as to this unit,” Hall said.
After a trumpet of praise from JSU’s Public Safety participants, Albright said the plan is to enroll other investigators into the training program.