Students interest in a career in criminal justice need to have a good understanding of the evolving changes which are occurring in the law enforcement career paths.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, “In the 2006 fiscal year, federal, state, and local government spending for police protection, corrections, judicial activities, and legal activities increased by 5.1 percent from the previous year.”
Also, the U.S. Bureau of Labor stated: “Law enforcement positions are expected to increase by 11 percent by 2016. Private detective and investigative occupations are expecting to see job opportunities increase by 18 percent in the next seven years.”
In addition, Gregory Osowski, Director of Criminal Justice at Henry Ford Community College, referenced a more recent statistics that states that by the year 2035 the private security business will provide approximately 50 percent of all law enforcement.

Reality of Law Enforcement
Osowski, a retired Detroit police officer, voiced pride in the fact that instructors have a goal and a mission to see that students in the program get an orientation into the realities of what is involved in a career in law enforcement. All of the instructors in the Criminal Justice Program are current or retired law enforcement officers.
According to Osowski, “It is important for students to know what law enforcement is really like. For example, many cities are not large enough to have a separate CSI department.”
HFCC’s Criminal Justice Program continues to work to keep the courses and instruction current with changes in law enforcement.
Dearborn City Police Corporal Dan Bartok, an alumnus of Henry Ford Community College Criminal Justice Program, commends the positive changes he has seen in the Criminal Justice Program. When Bartok studied at HFCC, the program did not have the credit transfer agreement that it has now with the Police Academy at Schoolcraft College.

Skills and Attributes
The career path one takes is an individual choice and decision. Both Osowski and Bartok encourage students to get diverse experience and training. Bartok worked as a security officer for the Target stores. By the time he left Target, he had been promoted to the administrative ranks of the Target Security Department. All of this was accomplished while getting his academic training at HFCC and then going to the Police Academy.
“Students need to be able to problem solve,” said Osowski, “to be critical thinkers and able to communicate with people. The real work is being able to relate to the people and the community.”
Bartok said, “Eighty percent of police work is with the community. Law enforcement in the community focuses on maintaining transparency and credibility with the community.”
Both men agreed that people in law enforcement must be able to communicate in writing, in addition to speaking, and computer literacy is a must.
 
Types of Criminal Justice Jobs
HFCC offers three different Criminal Justice Programs: 1) certificate in Corrections / Probation and Parole; 2) associate degree in Corrections / Probations and Parole; 3) and associate degree in Law Enforcement. HFCC also has an articulation and transfer agreement with the Schoolcraft College Police Academy.
Jobs in law enforcement include legal careers, law enforcement careers and corrections careers. Legal careers consist of positions for lawyers, judges, paralegals and court reporters, district attorneys, judicial workers and court officials. Law enforcement jobs consist of positions for police officers, detectives, private investigators, border patrol agents, federal agents, deputy sheriff positions, dispatchers and private security officers. Corrections jobs consist of positions for probation or parole officers and corrections officers.