Instructor of Criminal Justice at Northern Pennsylvania Regional College, David Wilson, has been selected to present at the Law and Public Safety Education Network (LAPSEN) National Conference in San Antonio, Texas next month.
LAPSEN is a national non-profit association representing career and technical education instructors, administrators and partnering professionals who focus on the law, public safety, corrections and security (LPSCS) career cluster. LAPSEN was founded to help instructors and others make a real difference in students’ lives by providing professional development, resources, and connections to help them be more effective. The year 2024 marks the second consecutive year in which Wilson has been invited to present at this annual event.
Wilson is an experienced criminal justice professional, with over 22 years of experience working in the field. He most recently spent time in law enforcement with the Sugarcreek Borough Police department under the leadership of Chief Robert Wenner and Mayor Matt Carlson, two mentors who have been instrumental in Wilson’s career in law enforcement, education, and research. Wilson has also worked in education for a number of years and currently works as a full-time instructor for NPRC and as an adjunct at Pennsylvania Western University – Clarion. In his four years with NPRC, Wilson has been a vital part of helping the criminal justice program to grow and adapt through various credentialing and mock scenario trainings to enhance students’ learning experiences. He’s also incorporated opportunities to hear and learn from highly trained professionals in the industry.
At the conference, Wilson will be delivering a presentation called Collaborative Synergy: Uniting Multiple Classes for a Joint Project. The presentation will overview the benefits of joining different criminal justice classes into one overarching project at NPRC. The project approach provides a deeper understanding and respect into each criminal justice stakeholder’s roles, starting at the very first encounter that a law enforcement officer has with a member of the community through the findings of guilt. Participation in this innovative project allows students to utilize and enhance critical thinking skills, public speaking, and teamwork, while diving into the adversarial world of criminal justice.
Another aspect of the conference includes Wilson attending seminars and speeches from his colleagues in public safety from around the country. Wilson will be attending a national certification in basic 911 instructor training. This training will allow him to certify students in National Emergency Communications Institute (NECI) basic 911 dispatch. NECI is a nationally recognized 911 training company founded in 1987 to help certify thousands of emergency communications officers and instructors around the world. NECI’s certificate is an industry recognized credential to help upcoming criminal justice professionals advance in their careers. This certification is able to be covered for Career and Technical Education (CTE) learners because of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins Act), that provides funding for CTE programs.
Aside from this upcoming presentation, Wilson has worked together with executive members of LAPSEN over the last year to create a national guide for youth development and recruitment for law enforcement and related careers. The guide has been transformed into a handbook, with the purpose of it being a design for technical education programs. In the long-term, this handbook is a part of a strategy to help prospective students understand the developing pathways and pipelines from the career and technical education (CTE) programs into a career in criminal justice.
When asked about presenting about his work on the national level and sharing about NPRC, Wilson stated, “With LAPSEN being one of if not the premier leader in criminal justice education starting at high school through college, it is an absolute honor for them to consider my ideas and ways of teaching important enough to pass on. I am also thankful to again represent NPRC on the national stage and share the work that myself and so many great colleagues are doing at NPRC.”
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