As the crime rate in its largest cities continues to rise well above national averages, there has never been a better time to pursue a homeland security career in Kentucky. These jobs require excellent communication and critical thinking skills. In emergency situations officials will work closely with government agencies and law enforcement forces from local municipal police departments and international criminal investigative organizations. Those working in the homeland security sector have an ideological commitment to actively improving their local community, state, and country.
Kentucky’s Home-Grown Terrorists
Homeland security officials recently wrapped up an investigation of two Bowling Green men who were arrested on charges relating to their attempts to aid anti-American groups in Iraq. Several governmental law enforcement agencies gathered evidence on the two men throughout the course of their investigation, finding evidence that they were conspiring to send weapons including Stinger missiles, as well as cash to Iraqi insurgents. The training for homeland security jobs in Kentucky includes an emphasis on inter-agency collaboration, which made this bust possible as agencies from the military to the Bowling Green Police Department compared notes and connected the dots.
A man was recently arrested in Louisville after homeland security officials received an extradition request from Australia, where he was wanted on charges related to an extortion bomb plot. Federal and local police forces conducted a raid at the last known address of the man, who had arranged for an assailant to break into the home of an Australian IT executive and lock a bomb around his daughter, leaving a note demanding money in exchange for a code to diffuse the explosive device. Homeland security training in Kentucky prepares law enforcement officials for delicate raids such as the one carried out in this case, where doors may be booby trapped with IEDs and innocent people may be used as human shields. This operation also demonstrated the cooperation homeland security forces have among international law enforcement agencies.
Preparing for Homeland Security Jobs in Kentucky
Because of the scale of the homeland security sector, there is a variety of different kinds of jobs that will match a person’s individual strengths. These include:
- Communication Technicians
- Undercover Operations
- Surveillance Specialists
- Computer Network Specialists
- Crime Scene Investigators
- Terrorism Experts
- Law Enforcement
Homeland security degree and certification requirements in Kentucky will naturally vary from career to career. Education requirements can range from certification programs to the highest level of study possible in the field. Homeland security degrees in Kentucky are offered throughout the state in a number of private and public venues.
Relevant degrees available in Kentucky include the following:
- AA in Business
- AA in Homeland Security
- BA in Criminal Justice
- BA in Homeland Security
- BS in Criminal Justice – Law Enforcement
- BS in Human Services
- MS in Criminal Justice – Leadership and Executive Management
- MS in Criminal Justice – Terrorism, Mediation, and Peace