Carroll Community College
Commencement 2006, No. 25



Contents

County Commissioner Julia W. Gouge to Deliver Commencement Address

College Team Places First in Spelling Bee

Returning Student Reflects on Her Carroll Education

Class of 2006 May Be College’s Largest

Today Newsletter Wins National Award

State Trooper Credits College With His Success

Medical School Graduate Received His Start at Carroll Community College

Andrea Roskam Named Student Commencement Speaker

Info

 

State Trooper Credits College With His Success

Twenty-two year old Todd Newill, a trooper with the Maryland State Police, wanted to be a state trooper since he was a child. Newill completed the Criminal Justice—Arts and Sciences transfer program at Carroll Community College in December 2002. He says the college helped him to eventually reach his dream, by providing the foundation for entry into the Maryland State Police Academy.

“I always thought I wanted to be a police officer, but my ultimate goal was to become a Maryland State Trooper. I was in awe of the professionalism and striking image,” said Newill. “So, I signed up to take an introduction to criminal justice course at Carroll.”

“Steve Geppi was the instructor. His knowledge, experience, and enjoyment of the criminal justice system helped me to reach the final decision to apply to become a state trooper,” said Newill.

After graduating from Carroll, Newill worked for the federal government. He was then accepted into the Ocean City Seasonal Officer program. In July, 2004, Newill was accepted into the Maryland State Police Academy. He completed the six-month program and graduated in January, 2005.

“In the academy, we studied criminal law, traffic law, criminal investigation, motor vehicle collision, defensive tactics, first responder work, emergency vehicle operations, firearms, traffic stops, report-writing, drunk driver detection, courtroom testimony, and other criminal justice and law enforcement-related subjects,” said Newill.

“My experience at Carroll shaped me professionally by helping me build the core knowledge for a career in law enforcement,” said Newill. “My instructors helped me get to where I am today.”

As the demand continues to grow in the criminal justice field, students are increasingly turning to Carroll to start their career preparation. Steven F. Geppi, chairperson, Division of Social Sciences and Legal Studies at Carroll, believes that this is a field that offers flexibility like no other occupation. “By flexibility I mean that an individual can choose not only to work for local, state or federal agencies, but one can also choose among different areas of criminal justice. For example, one can work in a law enforcement agency such as the FBI, state police or county police, but also in such as areas as prosecution, defense, parole, probation, and corrections. Also, there are many career paths one can follow. If a person chooses to work in an enforcement agency, generally the first assignment is routine patrol. Thereafter choices can be made to move into more specialized areas such as canine, criminal investigation, aviation, training, planning and research, and the list goes on. Carroll’s criminal justice program provides a sound basis for direct entry into careers and for transfer to four-year institutions.”

Todd Newill

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