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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2014)
2014 CAREERS EDITION Multnomah County: ‘Your Reputation is Important’ R ecently promoted Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Captain Derrick Peterson has been assigned as the Facility Commander for the Multnomah County Detention Center. We spoke with him about his career and how more local youth can find employment with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. The Skanner News: Did you start out thinking that this is what you wanted to do with your career? When you were graduating from high school, what was the vision for what you wanted to do with your life? Capt. Derrick Peterson: I actually wanted to go into the ministry, that was my original focus. When I had some issues with my parents — my Dad passed away — I ended up staying home and going to Portland State. This line of work came into being via some counselors I met who were an integral part of my collegiate experi- ence. They made sure I was getting focused and looking at possible jobs out there. I received my degree in Administration of Justice (now known as Criminology & Criminal Justice), and went through a practicum with Washington County as a probation and parole officer — I really fell in love with that. When I graduated I put an applica- tion for corrections as well as the Washington County probation and parole. What’s interesting is I found out about the proba- tion and parole job the very day that it was going to close. I got the application filled out and went down to the post office to get it time- stamped, but they wouldn’t do it, so I got a reject letter. The other job I applied for was with the sheriff’s office. I went through that process, and became a corrections officer. And 27, going on 28 years later, I’m still here. A lot of times when we’re growing up, kids don’t think about whether they want to be a corrections officer– it’s usually a police officer, a fireman or something like that. I’ve come to find out what a great career it can be Peterson: Yes, you’re right. PHOTO COURTESY OF MULTNOMAH COUNTY Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News Multnomah County Sheriff’s Captain Derrick Peterson for someone, especially in our community– I was born and raised here in Portland, went to Holy Redeemer and Central Catholic High School, part of the black community. And so it’s fan- tastic to be a homegrown product. TSN: There are so many corrections jobs that out- siders have no idea exist. In virtually every area going forward there are expected to be massive job openings because people are retiring out. TSN: What advice would you give to high school stu- dents? What should they be thinking about for the future? Peterson: I think the first thing is protecting their rep- utation. That’s the biggest thing. You don’t ever want to cut off avenues that may be available to you in the future. And so the things that you do, the people you hang out with, interaction with social media, it’s very important to get a clearer understanding of that. That’s the first thing. I think a lot of youths don’t think about that, and the consequences of some of the things you might par- ticipate in or do an early age that might disqualify you in a lot of different areas. It shortens your field of refer- ence of work and where you might be able to work should that present an opportunity for you. TSN: And that’s true even if someone does not want to get a career in law enforce- ment or medicine or some- thing like that. Peterson: I also see that there are not enough people in the community – even in our profession – getting out to some of the younger kids. We walk into neighbor- hoods and do good commu- nity outreach, but to actual- ly get youths to start under- standing some of those jobs that are available out there, at an earlier age – I’m talk- ing eighth grade, sometimes this intervention needs to come into play before high school. They’re at such a high risk, even before high school, in elementary school and on into middle school. TSN: In past years I have gone to the Christmas party held at the Inverness Jail by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department, for See CAPTAIN on page 10 Clackamas Community College C lackamas Community College, with three campuses in the Portland metro area, provides education and training for people in all stages of life. CCC offers transfer credit classes for those working toward degrees, dozens of career and technical programs leading to jobs, work force services and adult basic education. CCC’s main campus is conveniently located in Oregon City, just three miles from I-205. Our beautiful 165-acre cam- pus is a hub of community activity including sports, arts, events and outdoor CCC has formed degree partnership programs with three Oregon university partners. These partnerships allow stu- dents to be jointly admitted and enrolled at both CCC and one of our four-year partners: Oregon State University, Portland State University and the Oregon Institute of Technology. This program saves students thousands of dollars and provides a seamless pathway toward completion of a bachelor’s degree. Scholarships play an important role in college success for hundreds of CCC stu- dents every year. CCC is proud to have CCC is proud to have one of the most active community college foundations in the state, awarding more than $600,000 in scholarships last year recreation. Classes are offered days, evenings, in condensed formats and online to meet the needs of our students. CCC at Harmony Community Campus is well-equipped to train students for jobs in the expanding health care field. Harmony houses the thriving health edu- cation programs, and also offers a full array of student services. The Harmony Community Campus is centrally located in North Clackamas, close to the Clackamas Town Center and the Green Line light rail. CCC’s Wilsonville campus (the Wilsonville Training Center), located on the east side of the Town Center Loop, serves as the Utility Training Center for employees of area utilities including Portland General Electric and PacifiCorp. We offer degrees and certifi- cates in Energy Resource Management. The Wilsonville campus also offers a growing number of academic courses. Page 6 The Skanner News Careers Edition May 21, 2014 one of the most active community col- lege foundations in the state, awarding more than $600,000 in scholarships last year. Anyone who is enrolled at CCC, plans to enroll at CCC or transfer from CCC to a four-year college or university; has a 2.0 GPA or higher; has a high school diploma, GED or high school equivalency can meet the requirements for at least one scholarship. Veterans are an important priority at CCC, and the college’s Veterans Education and Training Center provides vital services to military veterans and their families. The college is home to the Army Strong Community Center, pro- viding life resources to military family members, active military and veterans from all branches of the service. For more information, visit our website www.clackamas.edu or call 503-594- 3162.
