University Relations > News > News 2008 > May

Tracey Jordan of McCormick: Lawman, family man, Lander student

May 23, 2008

Office of University Relations and Publications

Sgt. Tracey Jordan of the McCormick Police Department was one of the first law enforcement officers to enroll in Lander University’s online criminal justice management program when it was introduced in 2006 and says the course has lived up to his expectations. Lander was the first public educational institution in South Carolina to offer criminal justice management online, giving Jordan and other lawmen and women the opportunity to complete requirements for a bachelor’s degree at their own pace.

Jordan resumed his education where he left off 21 years ago after earning an associate degree in criminal justice from Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood. He also has 21 years experience with the McCormick Police Department where he began his career as a dispatcher

Like many of the more than 20 officers currently enrolled, Jordan was attracted by the program’s flexibility, which enables him to coordinate his studies with his work schedule and family obligations.

Jordan said he had wanted to return to school for a bachelor’s degree but his fluctuating work schedule as a member of McCormick’s seven-person police force, and responsibilities as a husband and father made it difficult for him to find time to attend traditional classroom sessions and study. The 46-year-old lawman and his wife, Debra, have five children ranging in age from two to 21.

Jordan said he decided to become a police officer when he was in junior high school. Law enforcement is part of his background; his father is retired after a 35-year career as a law enforcement officer with the Philadelphia, Pa., police department. The younger Jordan said his Lander studies have made him more knowledgeable about the criminal justice field and better able to deal more effectively with the public.

His boss, Police Chief LeRoy Martin, describes Jordan as “a good fellow, easy going, very thorough.” Martin is a 31-year veteran of the McCormick Police Department and an enthusiastic supporter of higher education for police officers. “I always encourage officers to further their education,” said Martin who has associate degrees in criminal justice and human services.

Jordan spends 15 to 20 hours week studying and expects to graduate in 18 months.

Lander’s online criminal justice management program is open to candidates who have a two-year-degree in criminal justice and are working in law enforcement or have at least two years law enforcement experience.

Scarlett Moore, an attorney in Greenville and specialist in criminal law and federal sentencing guidelines, heads the Lander online program and is an assistant professor of criminal justice and pre-law adviser at Lander. “Because the course is offered online, it does not disrupt officers’ lives; they are able to continue working fulltime while studying,” she said.

A native of Asheville, N.C., Moore received her law degree from Louisiana State University and worked for the South Carolina Department of Social Services as a child abuse and neglect prosecutor. She was a part-time Lander faculty member before accepting her current position last August.

Mike Frederick, chief deputy for the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Department, an instructor in Lander’s criminal justice online program, brings 20 years of experience in local, county and federal law enforcement to his teaching job. He said, “Academic requirements have continued to creep into law enforcement over the years,” adding that many departments require a bachelor’s degree or higher for command positions.

Frederick has a bachelor’s degree from Mount Olive University in North Carolina and a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va. His work experience includes tours of duty in the Middle East and Central and South America with the federal government’s Joint Counter-Terrorism Task Force.

He has taught many criminal justice courses over his career but this is his first experience with online teaching. “I had to convert my classroom style and course content to Web-based presentations,” he said, noting that he receives hundreds of e-mails from students following up on the lessons he teaches.

Frederick’s wife, Kim, is also a criminal justice management instructor at Lander. She has a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of South Carolina and has held positions in research and development at the state Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia, as manager of the Juvenile Justice Department in Horry County and as a victim’s advocate.

Greenwood County Sheriff Dan Wideman was among the law enforcement experts who worked with educators at Lander and elsewhere to fashion the structure and content of the criminal justice program.

Lander has two other online academic programs. The Department of Nursing offers a bachelor of science degree in nursing for registered nurses, and the Department of Business Administration has an online health care management certificate program.

For more information about Lander’s online courses or other degree programs, call the university's Admissions Office at 864-388-8307.