The Department of Criminal Justice, Legal Studies and Social Work at Missouri Western State University will host two Criminal Justice Day speaking events on Wednesday, Oct. 5: a career panel at 10 a.m. and guest speaker Wes Coatney at 11 a.m., both in the Hoff Conference Rooms, Blum Student Union rooms 218-219. The events are free and open to the public.
The first event will be a career panel of three professionals from juvenile corrections, adult corrections and police to discuss résumé building and the hiring process. Professionals presenting on the panel include Jeff Hemme, regional community coordinator for the Missouri Division of Youth Services; Laura Clark, human resources officer for the Missouri Department of Corrections; and Mike Wilson, commander for the St. Joseph Police Department.
Following the career panel, Coatney will present “Crime Behind the Walls,” a look into investigations in the prison system. Coatney began his career in criminal justice at 19 years old when he was hired as a correctional officer at the Greene County Sheriff’s Department in Springfield, Missouri. He graduated from the police academy and began working as a law enforcement officer at 21 years old. After ten years as a police officer in southwest Missouri, he began working for the Missouri Department of Corrections, Board of Probation and Parole. He served as a sex offender specialist for the District 11 Probation and Parole Office in Rolla. In 2014, he was hired as an investigator with the Office of Inspector General, and is now based at the Algoa Correctional Center in Jefferson City. He holds associate and bachelor’s degrees from Missouri Southern State University.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.