The homeland security sector in Maine employs everyone from intelligence analysts to field operatives, and the security of the state and nation depends on the quality of people hired to fill these positions. After being trained in the latest field techniques and how to use the most advanced technology, new agents will begin their jobs eager to contribute their unique specialization.
Getting the Right Homeland Security Education
To meet the minimum requirements of the variety of jobs in the homeland security sector, educational institutions across the state offer several homeland security degree programs.
Relevant fields of study include:
- Business Administration
- Criminal Justice
- Homeland Security
- Law Enforcement
- Legal Studies
- Public Administration
- Human Services
Homeland Security Operations in Maine
Recently, homeland security officials in Maine foiled two plots that could have seen the bombings of well-known U.S. landmarks and the loss of many innocent lives:
- A Presque Isle man was nearly an unwitting accomplice in a terrorism plot to blow up the Pentagon. A would-be bomber hatched a plot to fly remote-controlled airplanes loaded with improvised explosive devises into the heart of the Defense Department, and contacted the local owner of a model airplane shop in the northern rural portion of the state. Luckily, the owner of the small business discouraged the terrorist suspect from buying an airplane capable of carrying explosives, though the man tried on four separate occasions to buy a model he had researched on the merchant’s hobby airplane website. During their investigation, homeland security officials uncovered the details of the plot and concluded that the Presque Isle man was innocent of any conspiracy charges, and were able to arrest the principal suspect before any damage was done.
- Homeland security training in Maine includes investigative techniques that help agents use computer programs on the cutting-edge of technology to connect bits and pieces of evidence. A demonstration of this involved the recent arrest of a Maine individual who homeland security officials linked to the recent failed car bombing attempt in New York’s Times Square. The main suspect in that case was apprehended after his bomb failed to detonate in the popular tourist destination, as he was on board a commercial airplane waiting to disembark at JFK airport. Authorities drew a link between the would-be bomber and the Maine resident after conducting a detailed investigation and surveillance operation. Those working in homeland security jobs in Maine prevent terrorist attacks and put a wrench in operation of major organized crime in the state on a regular basis.