GCCC Criminal Justice reunion unites 35 years of law enforcement > Back To Resources Main

It's been 35 years since the Garden City Community College Criminal Justice Program got started, and today the program's 1,000-plus alumni hold positions as police and sheriff's officers, highway patrol troopers, and state and federal agents across Kansas and the nation.

Organizers aren't sure yet how many, but a number of those law enforcement professionals will be returning to Garden City May 6-8 for a 35th anniversary all class reunion.

"We think it's time to renew GCCC Criminal Justice friendships, have some fun and see how the department has grown," said Linda Morgan, an instructor who graduated from the program herself.

A small sampling of other area graduates includes Hamilton County Sheriff Bethany Popejoy, Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple, Garden City Police Officers Brandy Unruh and Jerry Schiffelbein, and Ford County Sheriff's Department Captain Bryan Burgess.

A few others are Finney County Sheriff's Department Officers Steve Martinez and David Beasley, and Ron Vagher, an officer with the Ulysses Police Department.

Director Dennis Elam said other Criminal Justice instructors from past years will also attend, including the first one, retired FBI Special Agent Paul Vice.

The program began in a single classroom of the science and math building on campus, and today occupies a series of classrooms and labs in the John Collins Technical Building, as well as adjacent firearms and emergency vehicle simulation sites. The present Department of Public Safety, Criminal Justice and Fire Science evolved from what was first known as GCCC Police Science.

Today, Morgan added, the college serves 80 to 100 full-time criminal justice majors every semester. The program includes state of the art theory, hands-on practice and 21st Century technology, and draws on regular input from an advisory board of area law enforcement professionals. In student and professional competition, the program has repeatedly earned state and national recognition.

The three-day gathering will mix social and professional activities, and those who are interested in attending should register by April 9. Information is available by e-mail at crimjustice@gcccks.edu; from Elam at (620) 276-9504; Morgan at (620) 276-9503; or Instructor Dave Smith at (620) 275-3250.

One of the reunion highlights is going to be a special "We're Proud of You" display, featuring uniformed or family photos of the graduates. Some former students will also be speaking at an evening banquet.

The primary activity May 6 will include a law enforcement seminar entitled Extremism and Crime, set for 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Collins Building.

Reunion features planned May 7 include a golf tournament at 7 a.m. at Buffalo Dunes, south of Garden City; and the banquet at 7 p.m. in Garden City's Plaza Hotel, where Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Larry Welch will serve as master of ceremonies. The dinner will be followed by a special period and dance from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The golf tournament, Morgan said, is open to anyone who is interested in participating, whether they're GCCC alumni or not. Registration for the tournament is also available from any of the three instructors.

The gathering is scheduled the same weekend as GCCC's 2004 commencement ceremony, so the reunion will include graduation at 10 a.m. May 8 in the GCCC Physical Education Building.

The final day schedule also includes demonstrations and tours of the department at 1 p.m., feature the Team-T emergency management program, emergency vehicle operations center, the Gun Range 3000 interactive firearms simulator, a criminal justice technology lab and other facilities. Morgan said there will also be social gatherings at the hotel the same evening.

Extremist-Terrorism presentation

The seminar May 6 on extremism and crime is designed to focus on solving problems linked to emerging issues of terrorism.

Conducted by Wichita State University's Regional Community Policing Training Institute, the program goes beyond basic terrorism concerns, and looks at emerging trends and local relationships of terrorism to crime in communities.

"It also provides a case study to illustrate the complexity of an international terrorism investigation," Elam said, " and how it can relate to local levels." "Discussions will key in on problematic issues of information collection on individuals or groups which have constitutionally protected beliefs, but may be linked to terrorist acts."

Seminar instructors will include Dr. David L. Carter, professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University, and others. Carter is a former Kansas City police officer who has just published the seventh edition of his book, "The Police and The Community." Carter also teaches homeland security at the FBI Academy.

Others are Dr. Richard Holden, department head and professor of criminal justice administration at Central Missouri State University; and Richard A. Marquise, senior research associate for the Institute of Intergovernmental Research.

Holden, a former Irving, Texas police officer, authored Introduction to Law Enforcement and Police Management, and for the past 17 years has conducted research and written on domestic and international terrorism issues and groups. He also teaches at the FBI Academy.

Marquise served 31 years in the FBI, retiring as special agent in charge of the Oklahoma division. He served as chief of the Terrorist Research and Analytical Center at FBI Headquarters; and was the task force leader in the investigation of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

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