Homeland Security Degree and Criminal Justice Career News
Covering challenges faced by law enforcement professionals and emerging trends in criminal justice schools online

Purdue University is leading a $1.65 million effort to begin research and development at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Indiana as part of a homeland security training initiative. The Purdue Homeland Security Institute is working with the state of Indiana in developing the training program that will include integrating real world training simulations and serve as a testing ground for new technologies. It will also act as an advanced learning facility for homeland security degree students studying various disciplines in Computational Homeland Security; Sensing Science and Technology; Security of Large Scale Systems; and Law Enforcement Technology, Tactics and Training.

"This program, through initial funding by the U.S. Army, will focus on preparing our nation to better respond to a major natural disaster or the threats posed in an urban warfare environment," Purdue President Martin C. Jischke said. Under terms of the U.S. Army contract, Purdue will develop a program for military and first responders, providing the nexus for decision making, the use of computational models, advanced technology, risk communications, situational awareness and command.

Alok Chaturvedi, director of the Purdue Homeland Security Institute, said the Muscatatuck site permits trainers to replicate a small town, complete with 70 furnished buildings comprising five square city blocks. Among the buildings are a hospital, apartments, housing, a school, administration buildings, a power plant and a water treatment facility.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act in June 2005 that included $2.5 million for the center at Muscatatuck. That measure was led by former U.S. Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-Ind., who said this center is a significant first step in what will be a prolonged effort to build a permanent military institution at this Indiana site.

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The new-year is upon us and Homeland Security is a top priority for the U.S. Government. The Department of Homeland Security released the fiscal year 2007 grant guidance and application kits for five grant programs that will total roughly $1.7 billion in funding for state and local counterterrorism efforts. With the fiscal year 2007 funding, the department will have invested nearly $20 billion in local planning, organization, education, equipment, training, and exercises. In addition, the new Democratic-led U.S. Congress recently began work on homeland security legislation, a top priority for lawmakers. About half of the recommendations made by the bipartisan 9/11 commission to improve homeland security in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have been signed into law.

With the ever-increasing threat of terrorist attacks and natural disasters, congress is allocating big dollars and taking preventative measures to decrease these ongoing threats. The five programs that comprise the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) encourage a regional approach to strengthening homeland security. They emphasize interoperable communications, information sharing and citizen preparedness. HSGP fiscal year 2007 funding totals are:

* State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)- $509.3 million
* Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP)- $363.8 million
* Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)- $746.9 million
* Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS)- $32.0 million
* Citizen Corps Program (CCP)- $14.6 million

More than 100 law enforcement, emergency management and homeland security experts from federal, state and urban areas will form peer review panels to assess this year's grant applications. Upon completion of the review process, DHS expects to announce grant allocations by summer 2007.

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You've said it how many times before? This is the year I'm going to...(fill in the blank) and make something happen. You've sat down, put pen to paper, and actually took time out of your hectic schedule to write out your new year's wish list. Stop smoking, lose weight, cut back on TV, work out more, finish the landscaping, find more time for the kids, read more, learn to relax, etc. But then the excitement of New Year starts to wear off, daily routine sets in, and old habits surface while New Year's wishes sink to the bottom of despair. I would say the two biggest resolutions (however, I'm sure this could be debated) include working out more and improving one's skills. Since I'm not in the business of blogging about exercising (even though that would be cool) I'm going to talk about the latter.

More to the point I'm going to try to fire you up so THIS REALLY BECOMES YOUR YEAR!! If you've been contemplating going back to school, improving your knowledge through continuing education or you just generally want to know more - then look no further. This is the place where you can browse around and request information on the many criminal justice degree programs and educational opportunities offered by leading on-line Colleges. And this is the blog that will spark the flames in getting you motivated to do something about it. Personally speaking I'm a huge fan of a new year. I mean it's a time to start fresh, reflect on past accomplishments, pursuits, and failures. It's a call to arms to say this is my time and this is the place to begin heading in the right direction. Or if you believe you're already heading in the right direction then it's a perfect time to figure out those next action steps to keep things really moving.

Either way the New Year is coming. It's almost 2007, can you believe it, and this is your time to shine. Give yourself the perfect gift - education. Expand your mind, explore new horizons, and give yourself a raise. You can do it and you're worth it!!

Happy New Year's Everyone and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Labels: criminal.justice.degree.online, criminal.justice.degree.programs., new.year's.resolutions, online.degree

Yes, the title says it all - homeland security is becoming a major industry and a big business. How big? About $45 billion large. States are vying for grant money from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and taking steps to secure their share. New York, Illinois, Arizona, and Michigan are all trying to court the Government in siphoning funds into their pockets.

In Lansing, Michigan businesses and government leaders want to make Michigan as well-known for homeland security as it is for the auto industry have recently formed a consortium to tap into the fast-growing sector. "I'd say Michigan has an above-average chance to become a leader in homeland security," said Mark Mills, chairman of Washington-based ICx Technologies Inc., a government contractor focused on homeland security.

About 40 homeland security businesses, universities and economic development groups have formed the Michigan Homeland Security Consortium, The Detroit News reported Monday. The companies hope they can raise awareness of the industry, garner more contracts and help attract more jobs to the state, said Keith Brophy, chairman of the group and president of Troy-based NuSoft Solutions Inc. "We are just now putting our arms around this field and recognizing it as a vibrant and growing portion of (the) state's economy," he said.

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. recognizes the field as one of the state's potential strengths. From businesses to academia - everyone is getting into this very lucrative market. In fact students now graduating with a Homeland Security Degree are finding the job market wide open as their prospects for employment continue to grow. Its 21st Century Jobs Fund delivered $12.35 million to homeland security projects this year alone.

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Do firearms and handcuffs excite you? Do you have fantasies of speeding down the boulevard, sirens flashing, on a hot summer night tangled up in a high-speed chase? Have you been pondering lately on whether or not becoming a cop is for you? Well, you've come to the right place! We've recently added an on-line, dynamic, personality quiz to gauge whether or not you have the disposition to become a law enforcement officer. It was developed by PoliceOne columnist Dr. Dorothy McCoy and consists of 21 questions that ask you everything from 'which is more important to you? A substantial salary or Serving your community' to 'are you attracted to adventure?'

So, do you have the characteristics necessary to become a successful police officer? Take the Law Enforcement personality quiz and find out. I did and was surprised to see that becoming a cop is really not for me. In fact my results noted I shouldn't quit my day job. Guess I'll keep writing. How did you do?

Receiving a degree in homeland security is becoming increasingly popular among college bound students. More and more colleges and universities are offering degrees in homeland security as the threat of terrorism and natural disasters continue to plague our country. Furthermore, more universities are now offering advanced degrees in homeland security. San Diego State University, the universities of Colorado, Connecticut, and Southern California, and others have established or are developing master's programs.

You can now ad Texas A&M University to the list. The university is making plans for masters and doctoral programs in homeland security, with the hopes of taking a leading role nationally in the still emerging and potentially lucrative field. Campus leaders want the master's program in place as early as fall 2008. The doctoral program would come once the master's program matures, said David McIntyre, director of the Integrative Center for Homeland Security at A&M reported the Houston Chronicle. The Texas A&M University System's governing board endorsed the idea last week. The programs, which are in the early stages of planning, are still to go before the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for approval.

The Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., which provides advanced degrees primarily for military and law enforcement officers, launched the first master's degree in homeland security nearly four years ago.

Secretary Michael Chertoff recently called for more vertical sharing of information and the creation of intelligence fusion while speaking of the necessity for greater citizen participation. Securing our homeland is every American's responsibility and citizens are beginning to finally take notice.

Illegal immigration into this country has been problematic for years, however not until just recently has this hot-button topic become a mainstream concern. Perhaps 9/11 was the catalyst in waking people up to the fact that our borders are vulnerable to terrorists infiltrating our country and a gateway to many other unwanted criminals. Yet a full five years after September 11th and billions of dollars later, articulating a clear vision and strategy for terrorism prevention is still lacking.

I've read various solutions from creating a type of national awareness campaign to rallying citizen groups and other faith-based organizations in emergency exercises. However, at the forefront of terrorist prevention is education; education not only for citizens through awareness campaigns, but also creating and expanding collegiate education programs nationally. Homeland Security degree programs are springing up at more and more Universities and Colleges in both online and offline formats. These programs are teaching students how to deal with issues of security, intelligence operations, emergency services and crisis management. Students are learning how to observe, assess and respond to a number of emergencies including fire, natural disasters, terrorist strikes, and corporate crime.

By educating students with formal classes in homeland security areas of study we are striking a blow at terrorism and making positive steps toward its prevention.