Show MI BB M Secret Ex-Secret Service Agent Brings Knowledge of Criminal Justice to Community College Students Students' r r S r A-r I Ii k i Mike a By Greg BlackStaff Black Staff Writer It might be said that Mike was born to serve Twenty-four Twenty years with the government government government gov gov- including eighteen with the Secret Service haven't dampened dampened dampened damp damp- ened his enthusiasm for law en en- To the contrary he now zeroes his talent and knowledge knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- edge in n on students in the Salt Lake Community College criminal criminal criminal crimi crimi- nal justice program The way I look at it students at this college are our top priority priority priority prior prior- ity says They didn't pay their money to hear war sto sto- ries by Mike What I do is use these stories to emphasize points in my lecture like Hey that can happen here is an example Stories are one thing has plenty of Having a bachelors bachelor's degree from St. St Johns University in New York and a masters master's degree in criminal justice justice justice jus jus- tice from George Washington University he helped protect Presidents ts J Johnson son through Reagan as well as important foreign foreign foreign for for- eign dignitaries He was on the scene the day Charles Manson loy loyalist list Squeaky Fromme attempted to assassinate Pr President Ford When Ronald Reagan was shot was in charge of securing securing securing ing the hospital emergency area for the arrival of the wounded president In situations like that your training just takes over says You dont don't have time timeto to think about the danger Although he has known six US U.S. presidents he speaks fondly of Reagan All the agents really liked him He was wasa a very friendly individual who would try to remember peoples people's names career began in 1964 when as a twenty-four twenty year old fresh out of the Marines he took the Treasury Department law enforcement enforcement enforcement en en- agents agent's test Scoring well on the exam he was recruited by the service and other federal agencies Our job was to insure insure insure in in- sure the safety of the president against explosives explosives explosives bombs chemical biological or atomic threats as well as detention detention detention de de- of electronic listening listening listening lis lis- devices He began in the New York Yorkfield Yorkfield Yorkfield field office of the service working working working work work- ing counterfeiting and organized crime Four years later it was on onto onto onto to Washington DC D.C. where he was in the technical security divi divi- sion Our job was to insure the safety of the president against explosives explosives explosives ex ex- ex- ex plosives bo bombs bs chemical biological cal or atomic threats as well as de de- de- de of electronic listening de de- de vices It might seem a remote threat but as long as it was a threat we would look for those things explains After four mo more e years in Washington Washingto Washington Wash Wash- ington he went on to the field office in San Francisco where he was promoted promoted promoted pro pro- to squad leader There the majority of his work included investigating investigating investigating in in- forgery and counterfeiting counterfeit counterfeit- ing of US U.S. currency and obliga obliga- A After five years in San Francisco Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco he ws to Reno That was basically a one man office he laughs In Reno I spent a lot of my time on public re fC- re- re lations After Reno it was back to Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington to finish out his career now as an assistant squad leader He retired retired retired re re- re- re tired just before the election of George Bush to take a position with a private security company started by a colleague Disillusioned by the difference between protecting political figures figures figures fig fig- ures and demanding rich citizens he moved with his wife to Fairfax Fairfax Fairfax Fair Fair- fax Massachusetts and began teaching criminal justice and history history history his his- tory at t a variety of colleges and nd universities He also coached high All the while he was keeping his eye open for a good place to settle down and live He answered answered answered an an- an ad for in the Chronicle of Higher Education and was hired last fall Now that hes he's here is very impressed with the criminal justice program and its instructors and hopes to help them take the program to new heights Our program am here is a very comprehensive community college level law enforcement program All of our instructors are former or current practitioners of law enforcement enforcement enforcement en en- he says He also talked about progress in the programs program's attempt to establish a strong work experience relationship relationship relationship relation relation- ship with local law enforcement agencies and federal branches such as the DEA FBI and others By establishing working relationships relationships relation relation- ships with those agencies the program program pro pro- gram gam attempts to place students in jobs where they can get hands on experience and hone their skills while hopefully starting fruitful careers |