Kennesaw State University Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice

Welcome back to our First Tuesday Series!

This Tuesday, September 3, 2024 we are pleased to welcome Rashawn Ray, Ph.D. at 3:30pm to 4:45pm, in Room Social Sciences Building Room SO 1021 as he discusses Police Accountability in America.

Hope to see you there!!

Seniors,

TJMaxx Loss Prevention has a Loss Prevention Detective position available for the Kennesaw store opening on Monday, 8/19/24. If you are interested in this position, please reach out to Maggie Burns, the District Loss Prevention Manager or Meghan Painter at the numbers below.

Interviews will start next Tuesday the 27th from 10a-5pm at the TJMaxx in Kennesaw near the mall. The application link is below.

https://career8.successfactors.com/sfcareer/jobreqcareerpvt?jobId=2281931&company=TJX&st=760FD063BFD31444E20B3B593110332915B7CF30

Maggie Burns: (614) 784-5955
Email: [email protected]

Meghan Painter
706-463-6793
[email protected]
[email protected]

Come on out to the Extreme Involvement Student Fair and meet the members of the Criminal Justice Student Organization! We're here on The Green until 2pm and are anxious to meet you!

Welcome! Whether it's your first year or your last, welcome!

Have an awesome Fall Semester!

Our final New Faculty Spotlight is for Dr. Felipe Salazar-Tobar!

Bienvenido Dr. Tobar!!

Dr. Felipe Salazar-Tobar is an incoming Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Kennesaw State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University-Newark School of Criminal Justice. He also received an M.A. in Criminal Justice (Rutgers University) and a B.A. in Sociology (Alberto Hurtado University, Chile). His research focuses on policing and its contexts in the U.S. and abroad. He is particularly interested in the diffusion of policing strategies, trust in the police, and innovation in police practices. Felipe’s work emphasizes the connection between research and policy to inform policing more effectively. His dissertation, for example, examined the adoption of hot spot policing and community policing strategies from a comparative perspective, offering insights into police reform processes. Before joining KSU, Felipe held government positions in his home country, Chile, on public safety and crime prevention. His research background includes experiences in the Latin American School of Social Science (FLACSO-Chile) and the Vera Institute of Justice. Felipe is a first-generation student and a native Spanish speaker. He enjoys spending time playing and reading with his daughter.

Our next New Faculty Spotlight is for Dr. Ian King! Welcome to KSU!!

I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Purdue University-Fort Wayne in 2017 and earned my Master’s degree in Sociology from Bowling Green State University in 2020. I am currently finishing up my PhD work at Bowling Green State University. I am trained in criminology and social psychology and my teaching and research interests span both of these areas. My research broadly examines the effects that public policy has on prisoner reentry, criminal offending, and deviant behavior. I am currently conducting research on how formal labels given by the criminal justice system influence mental health and recidivism, barriers to help-seeking among individuals in violent relationships, and how the policies connected to the COVID-19 pandemic influenced alcohol use, intimate partner violence, and health among parents. I have previously taught Deviance and Social Control and will be teaching Foundation of Criminal Justice, Juvenile Justice, and Profile of the Serial Offender at Kennesaw State University. When not teaching or researching, I enjoy watching horror films and collecting memorabilia from horror movies.

We're excited to announce that we have new faculty this year! Our first Faculty Spotlight is for Dr. Mindy Bernhardt!

Welcome Dr. Bernhardt!!

Dr. Bernhardt started her career with an interest in the psychological aspects of criminology with a focus on offender decision making and relationships. Upon obtaining her Ph.D., she went to work for a policing nonprofit where she got to work closely with the Atlanta Police Department and other Fulton County criminal justice agencies like the District Attorney and Sheriff’s offices and the department of community supervision. This experience led to a newfound love of teaching while mentoring the interns that worked under her supervision leading her to go back to the academic halls as a lecturer. The nonprofit did not stop at inspiration as it also improved her teaching by providing her experience and understanding with the difficulties criminal justice agencies experience while implementing the techniques, strategies, laws, and theories she teaches in the classroom. All of Dr. B’s experience has allowed her to bring the theoretical and practical together on both sides of the coin (criminology and criminal justice) for more holistic and complete lessons.

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Farr on his receipt of the Distinguished Honors Capstone Mentor Award, Journey Honors College!

He assisted Hanna Walden wither project “The Language of Hate: A comparative Study of Transphobic Discourse Across Social Media Influencers and Conservative News Outlets.” Ms. Walden presented the paper at the 2024 SSS convention, the poster at the KSU Symposium and Honors Symposium.

Dr. Lisa Thompson Explores Intersection of Criminology and Moral Psychology at Cornell University

As part of the NEH Summer Institute in Moral Psychology, Dr. Lisa Thompson recently completed a four-week residency at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The Institute, funded by the National Endowment for Humanities, is a competitive professional development program that connects faculty and graduate students from around the globe with distinguished philosophy and psychology faculty and researchers in the area of moral psychology.

Dr. Thompson is the first criminologist to participate in this moral psychology program. Formally trained in both criminology and psychology, her work primarily focused on internal motivations for deviant and criminal behavior. She places special emphasis on exploring the intersection of morality, crime, and naturalistic decision-making.

She looks forward to exploring interdisciplinary avenues of research with her new collaborators. She also aims to infuse her teaching and research mentorship with new insights gained from this experience.

Students and researchers who are interested in learning more about how our morals impact the decision to engage in crime can contact Dr. Thompson via email at [email protected], or check out the Criminal Justice and Criminology-oriented courses available through the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice.

Welcome to our new Masters of Criminal Justice students! Hope you have a great semester!

Department of Public Health Remote Internship Opportunity – Fall 2024

The Office of Child and Adolescent Risk Reduction Strategies at the Georgia Department of Public Health is announcing a remote/virtual Fall Internship Opportunity.

The intern may help with oversight, development, and evaluation of a number of sexual violence prevention programs and community taskforces across the state. The ideal candidate has a GPA over 3.25 and an interest in victimology, juvenile delinquency, statistics/data analysis, program evaluation, and/or public health. The intern should be self-motivated and have a strong, dependable work ethic. If interested, please contact Dr. Reece ([email protected]) with a letter of interest.

Are you looking for a CJ Internship?

The Paulding County Solicitor-General's Office has a Victim-Witness Internship Program available. Please see the attached flyer for details.

You can submit your application through Handshake.

Good luck!

Looking for a great class for the fall? Try SOCI 3315/01 - Transnational Sociology.

This course will analyze the phenomenon of globalization and how it affects societies around the globe. The course will cover political, economic, sociological and cultural perspectives on globalization, transnational social movements, globalization of gender/race/ethnicity, transnational migration, global conflicts and social inequalities in a global context.

Please join us!

Graduation was a complete success! We will miss you and wish you well on your journey!

Our professors are off to see our graduates walk at Commencement.

Pictured from left to right: Professors Larsen, White, Mueller, Johnson, Crowder, Abaidoo, Lepadatu, Totten, Treiber, Farr, Link, Combs, Reece, Holland and Thompson.

Today is the day!! Congratulations to all of our Sociology and Criminal Justice Graduates!!!

Don't forget to stop by Room 4060 of the Social Sciences building after Commencement for a reception to celebrate your accomplishment!! We look forward to seeing you!

This class was moved to 100% online for Fall 2024. Register now for a great opportunity!!

It's the last day of classes. Good luck on your finals everyone!

Congratulations to our wonderful faculty!

Dr. Sara Evans was awarded the Regents' Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award.

Dr. Darina Lepadatu was awarded the Diversity and Inclusion Award.

Great job ladies!

The Criminal Justice Student Organization is hosting their end of the year meeting. The event will take place this Thursday, April 25th, from 12-4 PM in SO 4060. This is a come-and-go event where you can hang out between classes, grab snacks, and hear about CJSO’s plans for the summer and fall semester. We hope to see you there!

Looking for a job when you graduate? Henry County PD is hiring!!

Here's an exciting new class to consider taking this fall! SOCI 4490 - Environmental Sociology taught by Dr. Richard Hutchinson. Check it out! CRN 88310, MW 12:20pm-1:10pm in SO 2023.

Common Good Atlanta and SCJ are co-sponsoring a Lunch and Learn on Prison Education for interested faculty next Tuesday, April 16 (see attached flyer). Experts will discuss insights from their innovative work with incarcerated students and answer questions about prison and reentry education. RSVP via the QR code on the flyer for a boxed lunch.

Returning year after year, Mr. Jayson Phillips, Esquire, with Talley, Richardson, and Cable law fim, presented another guest lecture in Dr. Crowder's Criminal Investigation class. Mr. Phillips leads the students in understanding the tasks, conditions, and standards in civil investigations and criminal investigations, as well as the judicial process and outcomes. Dr. Crowder remarked, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Police Department will be recruiting on campus at Kennesaw State University on Thursday, April 18th, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the South Lobby of the Social Sciences Building.

They are recruiting applicants for open Police Officer positions. They will be recruiting in the Atlanta area and will be conducting the entrance exam there locally next week. They are accepting applications now from those interested in attending the exam in Atlanta.

Click here or scan the below QR code for the dates and locations of our Atlanta area recruiting events.

If you have the means to post or distribute this information to your students, we would appreciate your assistance.

Additionally, we invite your students to attend our upcoming Open House & Career Fair:

When: Saturday, April 13th, 2024
from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. (come and go at any time)

Where: DART Police Headquarters
2111 South Corinth Street Road in Dallas, Texas
(adjacent to the Illinois Train Station)

-or-

virtually via Zoom

Why: Meet some of our Patrol Officers, Canine Handlers, Detectives, Special Operations Officers, Motorcycle Officers, Drone Pilots, Training Officers, Recruiters, etc., and ask them all of your questions about a law enforcement career. In-person attendees can also participate in various activities with opportunities to win prizes.

Click here for a link to a recruiting brochure regarding our Police Officer position and containing basic information about the DART Police Department.

Compensation:

The starting salary for applicants without a peace officer license is $70,000. The starting salary for licensed peace officers is based on eligible years of law enforcement experience. Click here for the DART Police Department's pay scale.

Additionally, we are currently offering a signing bonus of $5,000 for new Police Officers, which will be paid in two installments. The first installment of $2,500 will be paid on the first paycheck upon being hired and the second installment of $2,500 will be paid upon completion of field training.

DART also offers $950 relocation reimbursement for applicants from the Atlanta area.

Given the large size of the entire agency, DART offers a generous benefits package that includes: multiple affordable health insurance options, as well as dental, vision, life, AD&D insurance, four retirement plans (defined contribution plan, two 401k plans, and 457b plan), paid time off that increases with seniority, paid holidays, tuition reimbursement, military leave, among many other benefits.

DART Police provides uniforms and all required equipment, to include service weapon and ammunition. Officers are only responsible for providing their shoes, socks, and under garments.

Department information:

DART is the mass transit agency for the Dallas metropolitan area and employs almost 4,000 personnel serving over 50 million riders annually. The DART Police Department provides police services for the transportation system throughout 13 cities in 6 counties, covering over 700 square miles. The department has 429 positions, which are comprised of 252 sworn officers and 177 civilian employees.

Given the size of the department, DART Police offers a wide variety of special assignments, such as canine handlers, detectives, motorcycle officers, bicycle officers, drone pilots, special operations officers, training officers, and background investigators. As a medium sized police department, each officer is a valued team member and our officers personally know each other, which leads to a heightened level of support and camaraderie.

The DART Police Department also offers career advancement opportunities due to growth related to planned rail expansion in 2026.

Hiring Process:

The hiring process takes approximately 9-12 weeks. The position is currently posted and we only accept applications through our website. We accept applications from experienced and non-experienced applicants.

If you or your students have any other questions or need further information, please feel free to contact us or join one of our upcoming virtual recruiting events.

Police Department, Hiring & Recruiting Section

Dallas Area Rapid Transit |2111 S. Corinth Street Road | Dallas TX 75203

Office 214-749-5951 | [email protected]

Website: www.DART.org/PoliceJobs

CORE VALUES: INTEGRITY FIRST * SERVICE BEFORE SELF * EXCELLENCE IN ALL WE DO

Abigail Lloyd made a presentation today at the Southern Sociological Society conference in New Orleans entitled, "Sharing Medical experiences through their stories with Autoimmune disease: EOE." Abigail is a first year scholar, majoring in criminal justice and theater and was matured by Dr. Daniel Farr. Well done Abigail!!

We have a great new course to share! SOCI 3315 - Transnational Sociology. Check it out!!

It is always an excited learning day in Dr. Crowder's Criminal Investigations class when Captain (retired) Tim Fant and K-9 (canine) Elle come to teach on "The Use of Canines in Criminal Investigations." The practical exercise and demonstration are always great insight into the application of canines to solving crimes. Many thanks to Captain Fant for coming out every semester to help Dr. Crowder.