St. John's News

Following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, the City of New York swiftly implemented new security measures to protect itself from future strikes. Five years later, New Yorkers are accustomed to heightened security in and around train stations, airports, building lobbies and event grounds.

What the public doesn’t notice is the behind-the-scenes work conducted in the burgeoning field of counter-terrorism. Because of New York’s higher susceptibility to terrorist attacks, many of the country’s top counter-terrorism heavyweights operate in the New York region. And because of St. John’s University’s growing criminal justice program, many of these officials serve as full- and part-time faculty members for the St. John’s College of Professional Studies.

“In the discipline of counter-terrorism, the St. John’s faculty is second to none,” says the College’s Assistant Dean, James O’Keefe, Ph.D.

Students who graduate from the criminal justice program often assume professional roles within federal and state law enforcement agencies like the NYPD, FBI, CIA, NSA and Department of Homeland Security. St. John’s alumni might, for example, monitor the Internet for communications between terrorist cells or investigate companies and non-profit agencies suspected of filtering money to terrorists.

“The St. John’s criminal justice program continually produces graduates who excel within the NYPD,” says Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. “The program is an asset to the City of New York.”

Students concentrating on counter-terrorism take a variety of classes examining the current operations, organizational structures and origins of worldwide terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Tamil Tigers and the Irish Republican Army. Through specialized field trips, students also have been exposed to day-to-day operations at places like the New York Police Academy and the NYPD Counter-Terrorism Headquarters, which O’Keefe calls “one of the most impressive and technologically advanced headquarters in the world,” also noting that it is not open to the public.

Following is a list of counter-terrorism experts serving on the St. John’s faculty:

• Adjunct Professor Vincent DeMarino; Deputy Chief and Commanding Officer of the NYPD Counter-Terrorism Unit; teaches courses on global terrorism, police administration and public administration in the field of criminal justice
• Adjunct Professor John Rowland; Lieutenant in the NYPD Counter-Terrorism Unit and Homeland Security Instructor; teaches courses on counter-terrorism, criminal justice systems and community policing
• Associate Professor Harvey Schlossberg; former Director of the psychological services units of the NYPD and the Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey; teaches courses on forensic psychology and global terrorism
• Associate Professor Angelo Pisani; former Deputy Commissioner for the New York Department of Investigation and Commissioner of the New York Arson Strike Force for the Office of the Mayor; teaches a course on international terrorism
• Adjunct Assistant Professor Thomas Mauro; drafts Emergency Action Plans for high-rise commercial buildings in Manhattan (used in cases of terrorist attack); teaches courses on general criminal justice, police management/organizations and community policing

The St. John’s criminal justice program offers a Bachelor of Science, an Associate of Science, a Master of Professional Studies and a forensic psychology track. Students are given opportunities to participate in several internships and attend a yearlong lecture series. The program is advised by the Criminal Justice Advisory Council, composed of distinguished leaders in police service, law, corrections and public safety administration.

A Fine Investment for New York’s Finest
The program made headlines last month when the University announced plans to provide up to $10 million in scholarship grants to support the University’s NYPD Cadet Corps Program — originally created by the NYPD to subsidize the tuitions of college students also enrolled as part-time police cadets. Beginning fall 2007, the University will match the NYPD’s contributions by awarding each undergraduate cadet with a scholarship package of up to $27,500, dispersed over the course of the student’s four-year career at St. John’s.

NYPD cadets are trained by the police department in law, police science and behavioral science and are put through the same physical training regimen used by the New York Police Academy.

“This program is a wonderful way to bring college-educated students into the Police Academy,” says O’Keefe, who ran the academy for 10 years prior to his appointment by St. John’s. “Research shows that educated recruits are better recruits. And we think we educate these cadets better than anybody else.”

The program also highlights the longstanding relationship between St. John’s and the NYPD. In the immediate aftermath of September 11, the University allowed the police force to move an ad hoc command post onto the St. John’s Manhattan campus (located blocks from the World Trade Center site), where it operated for months. The University provided officers with food, cots, showers and opportunities to consult with clergy members.

“We’re proud of our New York identity,” says O’Keefe. “St. John’s is part of the fabric of this city, so we come to the assistance of the city when we can because it’s the right thing to do.”