We are the Kent State University Criminology Student Organization, Psi Sigma Iota chapter of The American Criminal Justice Association – Lambda Alpha Epsilon. Our mission:
1. Improve criminal justice through educational activities.
2. Foster professionalism in law enforcement personnel and agencies.
3. Promote professional, academic, and public awareness of criminal justice issues.
4. Encourage th
e establishment and expansion of higher education and professional training in criminal justice.
5. Provide a unified voice for professionals in, and students of, criminal justice.
6. Promote high standards of ethical conduct, professional training, and higher education within the criminal justice field.
7. Continue to uphold the excellence of education in the field of criminal justice.
8. To provide service, life skill developmental procedures, and provide social enhancement for members. During the first three decades of the twentieth century, law enforcement in the western United States was simple and extremely rudimentary by comparison with today’s high tech standards. The ability to do a “cop’s job” relied heavily on physical brawn to maintain the peace and a degree of political connections to maintain one’s job. Ethics and standards varied between states and political subdivisions if, indeed, heed was paid to these virtues. There was little formalized training of peace officers, and only in the 1920’s did any formalized U.S. governmental agencies begin to develop standards which might someday affect local police operations. One of the most significant law enforcement officers in the early development of professional law enforcement in California was August Vollmer. Entering law enforcement by accident in Berkeley ( California) in 1905 as "Marshal", Vollmer soon moved to the position of “Chief” in a rapidly growing University community. Utilizing resources of the University’s technical and behavioral scientists, he studied the criminal and his modus operandi, means of identifying physical characteristics, and other information. From these studies, he developed advanced methods of detection and apprehension of criminals by scientific and deductive investigative conclusions.
