BY JENNIFER DOME
Staff Writer
MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Lt. Pat Balunis, of the state police’s aviation unit, talks with Brick Township High School students about the helicopter during the school’s Career Day last week. BRICK — Students at Brick Township High School (BTHS) were treated to a sneak peek into several professions at the school’s Career Day April 13.
More than 25 professionals spoke with students during their English and physical education classes about careers in the engineering, law, health and law enforcement fields. BTHS school counselor Donna Kuch said the school holds two career days each year — one in the spring that covers the aforementioned careers, and one in the fall that brings in professionals in the business, arts, education and communications fields.
MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Brick Township Police Lt. Douglas Kinney talks about the requirements needed to become a police officer with Brick Township High School students during Career Day April 13. “The speakers were just amazing,” Kuch said. “I got really good feedback from the teachers and the principal.”
The speakers didn’t just lecture — they brought in props from their jobs, such as state trooper Steven Mazzagatti, who arrived at BTHS via helicopter. Veterinarians from Brick Veterinarian Hospital and Bayview Animal Hospital brought in hearts and examples of heartworms, and Brick’s own police Lt. Douglas Kinney showed off state-of-the-art ballistic protection equipment.
“The speakers were really enjoying themselves,” Kuch said.
FBI special agent Sean McCarthy and his wife, Eileen, who is a victims specialist for the FBI, spoke with students about the reality of the agency.
“Because of TV and the movies, you guys may not have a good idea of what we really do,” Sean McCarthy said.
He and his wife explained the criteria that must be met in order to become a federal agent — such as a college degree and a clean criminal record.
“We want to make sure that the people we’re hiring are genuine,” Sean McCarthy said.
One thing that would help a student who wants to enter the FBI is learning to speak a foreign language. Eileen McCarthy said that people who know Arabic, Russian and Chinese, among other languages, are in high demand.
“It’s a very competitive process,” Sean McCarthy said. “If you want to work for us, you have to start thinking about that now.”
Eileen McCarthy explained that there are many different types of jobs within the FBI — from receptionists, to computer specialists, to attorneys, to her job as a victims specialist.
Students who listened to Kinney and Sgt. Donald Ling of the Traffic Safety Bureau speak last Wednesday said one of the worst things to happen in Brick lately was the murder of Brittney Gregory. Kinney said that some people think that type of thing happens only in other towns.
“Everything that you’ve seen on ‘COPS’ … we have the same kind of things happening in Brick Town,” Ling said.
In order to keep the township’s police officers protected, Kinney said the department is always updating their equipment. He showed the students different bulletproof vests that the officers wear and a new weapon called the FM-303, which doesn’t kill a person ,but shoots different types of projectiles meant to stun a suspect.
“The most important thing is to make sure everybody comes back home at night,” Kinney said.
The police department doesn’t need to recruit officers because only about 10 people are hired in a two-year period. And the list of people eligible to work for them has more than 250 names on it.
He said that one thing the department looks at during the hiring process is a person’s high school career because past behavior is a good indicator of someone’s future.
“We like to track your decisions,” Kinney said.
The lieutenant said he can’t think of anything more exciting than being a police officer. The department responded to 76,000 calls for service last year — so the police officers are always busy.
“It’s different every day, and that’s what makes this job the best,” Kinney said.
“It’s a profession, something to be proud of,” Ling said.