The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund welcomed more than 200 aspiring professionals, community members and law enforcement leaders into the National Law Enforcement Museum on February 18 for the first installment of its Pathways in Criminal Justice Career Fair Series, held in partnership with leading national law enforcement organizations.
The first of two events, hosted during free admission hours, the event connected attendees directly with representatives from municipal police departments, sheriff’s offices, state and federal corrections agencies, highway patrol, transit and campus police, tribal agencies and federal partners, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Secret Service.
The Career Fair Series is designed to strengthen recruitment and build public trust by creating meaningful access between agencies and the communities they serve.
As part of the first career-fair day programming — held in recognition of Black History Month — attendees gathered in the Museum’s Verizon Theater for a special program celebrating the 50-year legacy of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). The event, titled “Forged in Struggle, Empowered by Strength, Defining Our Future,” honored the achievements of Black law enforcement leaders and examined the evolving role of leadership, accountability and community trust in public safety. Chief Renée Hall, national president of NOBLE and former chief of police of Dallas, delivered the keynote address, offering a powerful call to leadership and excellence within the profession.
Chief Hall reflected on the demands of leadership during some of the most challenging moments in modern policing, emphasizing the character required to guide communities through uncertainty. “Leadership in those moments is not about titles or tactics,” she said. “It is about presence. It is about listening. It is about moral courage.”
The next Pathways in Criminal Justice Career Fair will take place March 18 with programs centered around Women’s History Month at the National Law Enforcement Museum. It will be presented in partnership with the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), the 30×30 Initiative, Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE) and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Women in Law Enforcement (MAAWLE). Confirmed exhibiting agencies include the Alexandria (VA) P.D., Anne Arundel (MD) County P.D., Baltimore County (MD) P.D.’s Recruitment Unit, City of Virginia Beach (VA) P.D., Fairfax County (VA) P.D. and Sheriff’s Office, FBI Baltimore, FBI Office of Partner Engagement, Greenbelt (MD) P.D., Hampton (VA) Police Division, Harford County (MD) Sheriff’s Office, Henrico (VA) P.D., Metro Nashville (TN) P.D., D.C. Metropolitan P.D., Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Montgomery County (MD) P.D. and Sheriff’s Office, Prince George’s County (MD) P.D., Prince William County (VA) P.D., United States Park Police, Justice Federal Credit Union and Verizon Frontline, among others.
For more information, please visit nleomf.org/museum/programs/pathways-in-criminal-justice-career-fairs.
—www.NLEOMF.org—
