FAIR TOUTS JOBS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

With black wraparound sunglasses pushed back on his head, a U.S. Secret Service agent recalled his assignments guarding the president. Curious and numerous Southeast Missouri University students, attending Criminal Justice Day on Wednesday, crowded in to listen.

Next to him, U.S. Navy recruiter Alex Cromwell sat quietly at his booth, waiting for an interested student.

"I expected more college students," said Cromwell, one of the presenters at a law enforcement job fair. "I'm getting mostly high schoolers."

Criminal Justice Day brought more than 40 organizations to SEMO representing options for students interested in law enforcement careers.

The university has marked the day for 28 years, which is longer than it has offered criminal justice classes, said Dr. John Wade, who organized this year's event.

The job fair attracts many beyond criminal justice majors, Wade said. Most law enforcement agencies draw from a wide variety of backgrounds, he said.

The FBI makes no requirements that all its applicants must have a law enforcement background, said Gary B. Fuhr, a special agent from St. Louis.

He said only 10 percent of FBI staff have prior police experience. Their goal is to recruit a wide variety of people who bring different approaches to investigating and problem solving, he said.

But recent college grads rarely make their grade, Fuhr said.

"The average age of a special agent when he starts is 29 years, 7 months," he said.

Many criminal justice students are aiming toward the U.S. Marshal Service or police work, said 22 year-old Garvin Ambrose, a sophomore in criminal justice. But many just haven't decided yet, he said.

Ambrose is sure that he wants to work with neglected and abused children. He spoke with the state Division of Child Support Enforcement's representative.

Southeast Missouri police departments from Cape Girardeau, Charleston and Sikeston talked to students Tuesday. But it's hard for smaller departments to compete with metropolitan ones like Memphis and Chesterfield, said Cpl. Kevin Orr of Cape Girardeau.

"In Chesterfield, they run fewer calls and get paid more money," Orr said. "We can't beat that."

But he still received a few applications for jobs and requests to join the police volunteer program.

Many police say keeping staffing numbers up has been hard as the economy has blossomed.

It might be that those with police aspirations are searching for more prestigious, better paying employment, said Lt. Melvin Nicholson of the Kentucky State Police.