The 24th year of LEAF – Law Enforcement Awareness and
Familiarization – Day at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
Wednesday brought together students with agencies as diverse as the
American Red Cross and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Students can learn about different careers in law enforcement
and learn what the different agencies are,” said Dan Songer, chief
of Pitt-Bradford Police and organizer of the event. He explained
the diversity in the agencies represented was to help students
understand the wide range of careers that impact the field of law
enforcement.
“There is one guy here who is a welfare fraud investigator for
the Inspector General’s office,” Songer said, referring to 1993
Pitt-Bradford graduate Andrew McCole.
“And we have the Red Cross here,” Songer said, adding the agency
helps police in situations like the recent search for fugitive
Ralph “Bucky” Philips. The Red Cross made sure the law enforcement
officers had food and beverages while they spent hours on end
searching the woods for the fugitive.
Many students visited the University Room in the
Frame-Westerberg Commons to see the displays and gather
information.
Supervisory Agent Kathleen Scudder of U.S. Customs and Border
Protection, a division of Homeland Security, said she is a
recruiter for her agency. She spoke to several students throughout
the afternoon.
“We’ve been in existence since 1924,” Scudder said. “We’re not
new. Since the 9/11 attacks and the increased focus on immigration,
we’ve really come into focus.”
She said there is a strong recruitment effort for the agency
currently under way, and suggested anyone interested look up the
agency’s Web site for an application or further information.
FBI Agent Andrew Wilson, the agent in charge of the Erie office,
was filling the role of recruiter at the event.
“This is the first time the FBI’s been here since 9/11,” he
said. “This really benefits us and it benefits the college. We’re
glad we were invited by the chief.
“It allows students to ask any questions they may have,” Wilson
said. “It allows us to get out and talk to people. We get a lot of
requests from colleges for supporting their criminal justice
programs. This (type of event) lets people see our faces.”
Other agencies represented included the state Fish and Boat
Commission, State Police Liquor Control Board, state Board of
Probation and Parole, U.S. Navy, the New York State Sheriff Canine
Unit, the state Attorney General Environmental Crimes Unit, the
Federal Bureau of Prisons, Montgomery County Police Department in
Germantown, Md., Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, the YWCA, the
McKean County District Attorney’s office and Drug Task Force, the
McKean County Sheriff’s office, McKean County Adult Probation,
Pennsylvania State Police, Pitt-Bradford criminal justice
department, New York State Police and local police departments.
