Public Safety and Law: Programs

Criminal Justice

The field of criminal justice encompasses law enforcement, investigations, court and administrative services, corrections, private security, and juvenile justice. Each area requires individuals who can speak and write well, and who can work well with colleagues and the community. The individuals need to be skilled in management, investigative techniques, analysis of data, and critical thinking.

Graduates of the Criminal Justice A.A.S. will be able to:

• Categorize the history of the criminal justice, courts, and corrections systems in the United States
• Analyze the United States criminal justice system, criminal laws, and the rules of evidence
• Apply basic theories of police operations and community-oriented policing
• Apply the critical thinking skills needed for appropriate ethical decision-making in law enforcement-related fields
• Discuss the appropriate skills needed in communication, observation, investigation, evaluation and personal safety in law enforcement situations
• Analyze appropriate professional standards, ethics, and leadership skills

Fire Science

The Fire Science Program prepares graduates to function as entry-level fire service personnel and emergency service providers and provides a pathway to professional advancement within the fire department for career personnel currently employed as firefighters.

The curriculum is a partnership between Prince George's Community College, the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department, and the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI). 

Graduates of the Fire Science A.A.S. will be able to:

• Effectively perform basic firefighting operations and hazardous materials first response as part of a firefighting team
• Effectively perform emergency medical care in a pre-hospital environment at the basic life support level
• Apply knowledge about the classification system of buildings which affects emergency operations
• Demonstrate sensible and safe emergency vehicle driving procedures and collision avoidance in the operation of fire and rescue service apparatus and truck company operations
• Demonstrate skills needed to become a journeyman firefighter
• Explain the fundamentals of arson investigation and the documentation, collection, and preservation of physical evidence as it relates to fire scenes
• Apply the scientific method and basic principles of the biological and physical sciences in the analysis of evidence and to legal concepts and cases

Forensic Science

The Associate of Science degree in Forensic Science provides the foundation for students who plan to pursue a bachelor's or a master's degree in forensic science. The program combines a science curriculum with hands-on experience in the collection, processing, and analysis of physical evidence in criminal cases. The incorporation of physical science, criminal investigation, and the law provides a comprehensive understanding of the evidentiary process.

Students learn investigative techniques and data analysis coupled with critical-thinking, verbal, and written communication skills that are essential for the constantly evolving forensic science disciplines. 

Graduates of the Forensic Science A.S. will be able to:

• Analyze the United States criminal justice system, criminal laws, and the rules of evidence
• Analyze the role of the crime scene technician and the forensic scientist in criminal investigations
• Document, collect, and preserve physical evidence from a crime scene
• Apply the scientific method and basic principles of the biological and physical sciences in the analysis of evidence and to legal concepts and cases

Paralegal/Legal Assistant

The Paralegal/Legal Assistant Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree helps students qualify as legal assistants aiding lawyers with procedural activities in the practice of law. These activities include research, alternative dispute resolution, interviewing witnesses, and drafting motions, interrogatories, and pleadings.

Legal assistants may work in government agencies, in corporations that have in-house attorneys, and in private law firms, or they may prefer to freelance. 

Graduates of the Paralegal/Legal Assistant A.A.S. will be able to:

• Apply investigative techniques to gather information from clients, witnesses, and other sources
• Analyze legal resources found in a law library, using manual methods, computer software, and online research tools, such as Westlaw
• Apply critical thinking skills in the reading and interpretation of the law
• Draft legal documents, pleadings, motions, and other writings typically assigned to paralegals
• Apply ethical rules and concerns of the legal profession
• Analyze the practical and legal necessities for organizing successful strategy and tactics for trial
• Analyze American criminal laws and the rules of evidence