BY: JESSICA WIKANDER, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
St. Bonaventure’s Criminology Club hosted its Criminal Justice Day event on Friday, Sept. 13 in the Richter Center parking lot. The event was held to give students an opportunity to interact with local and state law enforcement offices and learn about the role they play in the greater Olean Area. Over 10 different branches of law enforcement were represented, featuring both returning and new law enforcement offices.
This was the second Criminal Justice Day the club hosted. This event has grown substantially since last year, with new booths from offices such as the park ranger department being available for students to learn more about.
“We had [Criminal Justice Day] last year that was a lot smaller, so people didn’t know about it,” said Ciara Woods, Criminology Club treasurer and senior criminology and psychology double major. “This year, we decided to partner with admissions, so the event is a lot bigger in capacity.”
Criminal Justice Day started as a way for criminology students to learn more about the law enforcement community and if they’re interested in it. The event gives students an opportunity to meet with different departments, learn about the roles they play in their respective fields and reduce the stigma around working with law enforcement.
“Police officers have a big stigma around them, so it’s really important for students to actually be able to talk with them,” said Woods. “You don’t often get that chance to be able to talk to them just on a casual basis.”
Students were provided with networking opportunities and ways to get more involved within the criminal justice sphere. Some booths also showcased demonstrations of what gear they used, examples of what cases they have covered, as well as provided survey sheets and employment application guides.
Cadence Rodgers, a junior criminology and psychology major and secretary of the criminology club, found the attorney’s offices especially interesting.
“I think that the public defendants, especially, are important to talk with,” said Rodgers. “They are very knowledgeable and honest about the people they represent.”
The organizations and agencies who participated in the event included: the Olean Police Department, Cattaraugus and Allegany County Sheriff’s Offices, Cattaraugus County Court and Public Defender’s Office, State Supreme Court, Cattaraugus County Jail, Cattaraugus County Probation Department, Cattaraugus County District Attorney’s Office, New York State Police and the New York State Board of Parole as well as representatives from the Seneca Nation.
wikandjm23@bonaventure.edu
