“I just wanted to serve my 社区,” says 罗伯特Brockenbrough ’22. 这就是他第一次去美国的原因.S. Army and then to the Philadelphia Police Department, where he has held various positions over the years and is now a lieutenant supervising detectives who investigate non-fatal shootings.
“We have to…ensure that we are giving people good 社区 service so that we can get good 社区 cooperation so that we can solve a lot more of these crimes and reduce this gun violence,布罗肯布罗说. He finds it rewarding to ensure the safety and welfare of children and the elderly, 这是两个最脆弱的群体, preventing crimes against them and bringing perpetrators to justice.
但这项有回报的工作风险很高. When officers leave their families to take care of a 社区, “他们那天晚上可能回不了家,布罗肯布罗说.
Police officers are called to protect and serve, but communities may or may not trust them to do so. “People don’t see individual police officers. 他们看到的是制服，”布罗肯布罗观察到. “执法, 就像其他职业一样, has its individuals who aren’t upholding their professionalism,他承认道. However, he adds, “There are so many good officers just going out every day to do a good job. … I treat people with respect, and I expect the people under me to treat people with respect.”
To enhance the public service he provides, Brockenbrough enrolled in Immaculata’s Bachelor of Science in 应急计划 and management. “It’s an up-and-coming field,” he says, “one that’s going to be needed.” He was recently inducted into the Order of the Sword and Shield Honor Society for protective security disciplines and will 研究生 this Saturday.
One of Brockenbrough’s motivations for earning his degree was his desire to set a good example for his two daughters. “我不想做一个伪君子!他开玩笑说. “I can’t expect them to go on to get higher 教育 if I don’t want to get more 教育 myself.”
Brockenbrough appreciates how all his courses broadened his perspective, and he found his emergency management systems course especially helpful. 在这, he gained a better understanding of the Incident Command System (ICS), a structured framework that helps multiple agencies coordinate and plan their emergency efforts. Brockenbrough had some basic experience with ICS from his time as a patrolling officer. 通过课堂, he learned how to tailor the system to larger incidents, how to organize the responsibilities of a range of first responders, and how to plan for support functions such as transportation and communication.
为了他的终极计划, Brockenbrough reviewed factors that contribute to gun violence in the Kensington section of Philadelphia as well as prevention methods. 在前几代人, 布罗肯布罗指出, 肯辛顿是一个工业区, with plenty of factories and blue-collar jobs that allowed most people, 即使是那些没受过多少教育的人, 来养家糊口. But more recently, most of those 业务es left. “People can’t make money; that’s when the bad element comes in,布罗肯布罗说.
He leads a squad of detectives in investigating shootings—interviewing complainants and witnesses, 处理犯罪现场, collecting and numbering each piece of evidence and presenting cases in court.
“It’s a very time-consuming process,布罗肯布罗说. “有时我和侦探们开玩笑, 就像, ‘看, we’ve got to have this job wrapped up before the credits roll!’” When he and his wife watch cop shows together, Brockenbrough sometimes comments on what he would do differently from the police on TV. “我妻子讨厌它!他微笑着说. “她说，‘好吧，记住——这只是个节目!’”
He says “Law and Order” is a relatively realistic depiction of law enforcement. He also enjoys the police sitcom “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and showed his fellow classmates in an instructor’s course at the Philadelphia Police Academy a clip of a detective asking a line-up of suspects to sing to help a witness identify the one to accuse. “你一定要有快乐的时光, because sometimes it gets a little too serious,布罗肯布罗说. “但这是一份好工作.”
Brockenbrough has worked hard and served his 社区 well for 28 years on the police force. 下一个, he plans to transition to a related career in public safety at a university, 搬去加州和家人团聚. He recently spoke with Immaculata’s director of campus safety, 丹尼斯·多尔蒂, who talked with him about the field and campus emergency plans.
“在当今时代, 我想每所大学, 公司, 业务—everyone—needs to know something about 应急计划,布罗肯布罗说. “Everybody plays a part in making the 社区 resilient. It’s not just up to first responders and emergency management personnel, but people in the 社区. Knowing what needs to be done in an emergency situation makes everybody’s job easier and can really help the 社区 bounce back.”