As many of the other essential career fields within communities struggle to fill key positions, criminal justice and law enforcement are no exceptions to the staffing difficulties that are being felt across the nation.
Great Basin Community College (GBC) is holding a career fair geared towards Criminal Justice on Sept. 15 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Winnemucca Campus on Kluncy Canyon Road. Those attending will be able to explore training and career opportunities in local law enforcement, corrections, legal professions, and more.
Participating agencies will include the Winnemucca Police Department (WPD), the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Nevada State Police, the Nevada Department of Corrections, the Lovelock Correctional Center, Employ NV, the Sixth Judicial District Court, and Join Inc.
According to GBC Winnemucca Campus Director Becky Coleman, GBC offers an Associate of Applied Science Degree, a Bachelor of Social Sciences, as well as other courses and such that can help students make meaningful gains towards a career in criminal justice and law enforcement. Social Sciences Program Director David Sexton will be present at the event to discuss the programs and how an education can help make a difference in entering the fields of criminal justice and law enforcement.
Those attending can ask questions to those working directly in these agencies and learn more about what a career in law enforcement or criminal justice is like and if it may be a fit for them.
WPD Lieutenant Jeff Murdock said during an interview that law enforcement is “a career that has meaning. It’s not just a job. It’s doing good and making your community safe so you can feel good about what you did all day.”
According to Murdock, career development in law enforcement offers people the opportunity to receive specialized training and a look into many aspects of criminal justice that those outside of law enforcement just don’t get.
A job with the WPD also provides solid retirement benefits and competitive pay, opportunities for advancement, specialized training, a family-oriented environment and “opportunities to do exciting things that no one else gets to do,” according to Murdock, but there are challenges within today’s atmosphere for incentivizing people and retaining them.
The career fair will help highlight what makes a career in law enforcement or criminal justice unique in Winnemucca, Humboldt County, and other nearby areas and just how significant a career in these fields are to communities.
Currently, the WPD is considered fully staffed, but with the retention issues that Murdock mentioned, there is always the potential for a job to be opened or for additional staff to be added as Winnemucca continues to grow.
The HCSO however, has key positions open in patrol, dispatch, and at the Humboldt County Detention Center. A job with the HCSO offers similar benefits to those at the WPD and allows deputies to gain special training opportunities from the Peace Officer’s Standards and Training upon hire.
Additionally, Nevada is suffering a major shortage of corrections officers and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed off on Assembly Bill 522, giving corrections officers one of the biggest pay raises ever to help address the shortages and those attending the career fair can learn more from the agencies, like the Lovelock Correctional Center.
Lovelock Correctional Center Warden Tim Garrett was unable to comment about the incentive and other aspects of a job at the Center before press time but representatives from the Center will be at the career fair to discuss opportunities.