NORFOLK, Neb. – The demand for law enforcement officers is about as heavy as it has ever been, including workers for federal agencies such as the DEA and FBI.
Representatives of six federal agencies were on the Northeast Community College campus Wednesday, Sept. 25, along with students from four Nebraska community colleges, including Northeast, and 50 selected high school students.
Known as COPS (Career Opportunities and Professions Seminar), the seminar at the Lifelong Learning Center featured representatives from the following federal agencies: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Probation, the U.S. Marshal Agency and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
Colleen Barnes, Northeast criminal justice and sociology instructor, organized the day.
Barnes said the representatives of the agencies share information about their agencies, including their agencies' roles and the types of jobs available.
Students also were given opportunities to ask questions, such as the qualifications the agencies require for employment. The day was structured so that each session lasted about 30 minutes, so each student could learn about each one. In the afternoon, Michael Maseth, a guest presenter from the FBI, addressed the entire group.
Maseth currently is an investigator with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. He retired from the FBI in May 2022 after 24 years. Maseth was assigned to the Chicago Field Office’s Organized Crime Task Force, where he investigated the Chicago Mob and worked to help secure the conviction and life sentences for the highest-ranking members of the Chicago Organized Crime Family. After 11 years, he was transferred to Chicago’s Western suburbs and conducted investigations into white collar fraud and public corruption.
In 2011, Maseth transferred to the Omaha Field Office, Lincoln Resident Agency, where he was assigned to investigate all criminal matters. Most notably, he was assigned as the case agent of the investigation into the disappearance and murder of Sydney Loofe, a Neligh native.
Wednesday’s event was open to all six community colleges, with Metro, Southeast and Central also attending. Most students who attended were criminal justice majors.
Barnes said along with learning about agencies, the event gives students an opportunity to begin networking for future employment. Northeast had a student who graduated a few years ago who made a connection with the U.S. Secret Service, which was attending at the time. Today, that student works for the Secret Service in Washington, she said.
Northeast also has had graduates in other federal agencies, including Federal Parole.
Matt McCarthy, Northeast criminal justice program director/instructor, said one of the benefits of the seminar is that it also enables Northeast students to meet students from other colleges and schools, starting some networking possibilities for law enforcement careers.
He said Barnes does a “huge amount of work” to make the seminar happen. She has established some good relationships with the federal agencies, which benefits Northeast.
“This not something that every student gets the opportunity to have,” McCarthy said. “This is a two-year school, so it is a nice opportunity. It also is a good example of the cooperative environment we have with the other community colleges.”
ICE Information
Representatives with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) discuss requirements for careers with Northeast Community College and other students during a seminar at the Lifelong Learning Center on Wed., Sept. 25. (Northeast Community College)
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