MASON CITY – Instead of enjoying a few weeks off for their winter break, 19 NIACC criminal justice students signed up for a winter course that included a pretty amazing field trip.
Under the leadership of NIACC Criminal Justice instructor George O’Donnell, the students traveled to the Chicago Police Department on December 18-19 as part of a Special Topics credit course on the CompStat process.
CompStat, short for Computer Statistics or Comparative Statistics, is the name given to the New York City Police Department’s accountability process, which has since been replicated in many other departments including Chicago. It is now being used in some form by more than 70 percent of the law enforcement agencies in the United States. The program uses data to track various types of crime and where they are being committed so law enforcement can make adjustments in their efforts to prevent crime.
“I am amazed at how high-tech law enforcement has become,” said NIACC student Chrystina Davis of Mason City. An Air Force Veteran and native of Seattle, Washington, Davis is in her first year of the two-year Criminal Justice program at NIACC. Her goal is to eventually work with the Mason City Police Department or the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department.
“My uncle is in law enforcement in Washington and that’s what got me interested,” Davis said. “Going on this trip to Chicago really got me even more interested. I was impressed that the Chicago Police Department took the time to speak with us. We learned so much from them. They really made us feel welcome.”
On Wednesday, the students were given presentations on Chicago’s CLEAR criminal intelligence gathering system and the Expanded Anti-Violence Initiative, which is designed to prevent and reduce the violence associated with gang activity and narcotics sales. The students were given a tour of the Chicago Police Operations Center and were able to observe the real-time, practical application of the CLEAR system.
On Thursday, the students attended the weekly CompStat meeting for the Chicago Police Command Staff. In the CompStat meeting, District Commanders present the crime occurrences for the week and outline the specific responses to those crimes. The students’ presence at the meeting was acknowledged by Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.
Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals, a 1999 NIACC Criminal Justice graduate, also participated in the trip. “Their superintendent is a highly visible law enforcement expert. For us to be with him and his Deputy Chief, Bob Tracy, and their commanders was an amazing experience,” Pals said. “The opportunity to go a large police department like the city of Chicago is a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity for criminal justice students and law enforcement officials from small towns in the Midwest. This was all possible because of the connections George O’Donnell has. He does a lot to keep local law enforcement involved in what he teaches at NIACC. ”
Prior to attending the CompStat meeting, Commander Larry Watson gave the students an informal recruiting presentation, outlining the steps and training necessary to become a Chicago Police officer. After the meeting, Superintendent McCarthy addressed the students privately and answered several questions about CompStat and crime in general.
The students will be completing a research paper on the CompStat processs incorporating their research and personal observations. This course was developed and coordinated by NIACC criminal justice instructor, George O’Donnell, and Robert Tracy, Chief of Crime Control Strategies for the Chicago Police Department. Volunteer assistants on the trip were: Dr. Jeff Platt, NIACC psychology instructor; Dr. Chad Loes, Chairman, Criminal Justice Department, Mt. Mercy University; Sheriff Kevin Pals, Cerro Gordo County; and Chief Mike Lashbrook, Mason City Police Department. Pals and Lashbrook are both NIACC alumni and members of the NIACC Criminal Justice Advisory Committee.
O’Donnell said, “ This collaboration not only gave the students an opportunity for an inside view of the workings of the second largest municipal police department in the U.S., it also gave them a chance to interact with alumni and law enforcement leaders from their local area.”
Group Photo
L-R:
Row 1
1. Kevin Pals. Sheriff, Cerro Gordo County
2. Ben VanDen Broeke, Clear Lake
3. Dusty Murl, Mason City
4. Andrea Rigsbee, Garner
5. Chrystina Davis, Mason City
6. Gena Shadden, Mason City
7. Cathy Barkhurst, Rudd
8. Julia Brunner, Northwood
9. Samantha Flo, Lake Mills
10. Michael Lashbrook, Chief, Mason City Police Department
11. Robert Tracy, Chief-Crime Control Strategies, Chicago Police Department
Row 2
1. Zach Lensing, Mason City
2. Matthew Tull, Sheffield
3. Steven Follmuth, Rockwell
4. Brady Tenge, New Hampton
5. Garry McCarthy, Superintendent, Chicago Police Department
6. Ryan Russell, Charles City
7. Noe Gomez, Minneapolis, Minnesota
8. Taylor Bigler, Mason City
9. Colin Sido, Rockwwell
10. Alexis Ballantyne, Plymouth
11. Dr. Chad Loes, Mt. Mercy University, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
12. George O’Donnell, NIACC Criminal Justice Instructor
