Greenwood deputies Tarleton and Graham are lawmen, family men and students
August 22, 2008
Contact: dlorenz@lander.edu
Office of University Relations and Publications
Investigators Blane Tarleton, left, and Jeff Graham are enrolled in Lander University's online Criminal Justice Management program, which enables law enforcement officers to complete requirements for a four-year degree at their own pace while continuing to work full time. |
Investigators Blane Tarleton and Jeff Graham of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department are among more than 20 law enforcement officers enrolled in Lander University's first-in-the state online criminal justice program. And their bosses have more than a casual interest in their success.
Sheriff Dan Wideman was one of several law enforcement experts who assisted in designing the content and structure of the program, and Chief Deputy Mike Frederick is an instructor.
Lander introduced Criminal Justice Management in 2006 as the only totally online course of its kind offered by any public educational institution in South Carolina. The 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 of law enforcement experience.
The program allows lawmen and women the opportunity to complete requirements for a bachelor's degree at their own pace.
Tarleton, 35, joined the Greenwood sheriff's office three years ago after six years as a member of the Ninety Six Police Department. Graham, 32, an investigator in the vice, drugs and organized crime unit, has 11 years with the sheriff's department. Each man is married and the father of one son. They earned associate degrees in criminal justice from Piedmont Technical College in 2000 and expect to receive their bachelor's degrees from Lander in 2010.
They said because instructors in the Lander program have law enforcement backgrounds, they are familiar with the uncertainties of police work and understand the importance of flexibility in their study schedules.
Scarlet Moore |
Scarlet Moore, a Greenville attorney 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 full time 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 in August 2007.
Chief Deputy Mike Frederick 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, a master's from the University of South Carolina, and he is 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 Joint Counter-Terrorism Task Force.
Chief Deputy Mike Frederick
|
He has taught many criminal justice courses during his career but this is his first experience teaching online. "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 his lessons.
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.
How has the course affected the performance of Tarleton and Graham as lawmen? Tarleton said, "I have gone from a traditional law enforcement mindset to considering budgets and other administrative aspects of the job." Said Graham, "I am a better employee because I can look at the job from a management perspective."
As for their relationship with Frederick, their instructor and boss, Tarleton and Graham said he is a colleague and a friend but he also expects more from them in their class work.
The Greenwood County Sheriff's Department has an educational reimbursement program that repays deputies for the cost of tuition and textbooks as long as they maintain an average grade of C or higher.
Lander has two other online academic programs. The William Preston Turner Department of Nursing offers a Web-based course for registered nurses who want to obtain a four-year nursing degree, 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.
