Today I was fortunate enough to speak with Dan Perenick, a police sergeant from Winchester, MA. Dan has worked in the criminal justice field for 22 years. Not only does he work in law enforcement, he also spent 7 years as a school resource officer where he counseled students who were interested in starting careers in criminal justice, and he is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). I really could not ask for a better interview candidate!
How did you become interested in this field?
Dan first became interested in the criminal justice field through the Law Enforcement Exploring Program which is offered through the Boy Scouts of America. This program aims to expose youth ages 14-21 to a career in law enforcement by allowing them to work with local law enforcement agencies.
What type of training or education best prepared you for your work in this position?
Dan earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Salem State College. He was an active member in the criminal justice club on campus and worked as a student security officer. In the summers between semesters he worked as a seasonal police officer and volunteered as an auxiliary police officer. Dan also took some time off during college to train with the military and served as a military policeman in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. Dan took civil service police exam during college and then after graduation the entered the police academy.
What is an average day at work like for you?
Now that Dan works as a supervisor, he works four ten hour shifts and then has four days off. His day starts with roll call at noon. He provides direction and information to officers who are coming on duty, reviews reports, works on projects assigned to him by the chief of police or other supervisors, and patrols the streets and supports the other officers who are on the street.
What do you like most about your job?
The thing that Dan enjoys most about his work as a police sergeant is his ability to help people and make a difference in the community. He also finds it very fulfilling to be able to solve small problems before they become larger.
What advice do you have for those who are interested in working in this field?
Dan recommends that students who are interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice explore all of the different career possibilities in law enforcement and then focus on the area that they are most interested in. He also suggests that they look into these 5 catagories where he feels they will see the most opportunities for employment:
• Federal Agencies
• Local Agencies
• State Agencies
• Corrections Agencies
• Sheriffs’ Agencies
Each agency can be broken down into many different areas, so different positions within the same agency can vary greatly. For example, if you work a state law enforcement agency you could work in the environmental department or the mental health department. There are different application processes and exams to take for each area and level of law enforcement. This makes it very important to thoroughly investigate the different areas of law enforcement, what the different application procedures entail, and where you would be best suited to work.
Most importantly, Dan recommends that those who are interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement get as much experience as possible prior to becoming a law enforcement officer. Get involved in anything you can, and be sure to look into volunteer positions, internships, criminal justice extracurricular activities, military training and other experiences.
Dan also spoke about the different incentive programs that encourage police officers to earn college degrees and participate in certification programs such as EMT training. Although these incentive programs will differ from state to state, law enforcement officers are often offered pay increases and stipends for the additional training and education programs that they participate in. In Massachusetts, for example, the Quinn Bill (which we will focus on more in a later post) encourages police officers to earn degrees and provides educational incentives through salary increases.
So how do you become a police sergeant? Earn a degree in law enforcement or criminal justice, get as much exposure to the field as you possibly can, find the area of law enforcement that suits you best, and study for and take promotional exams.
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