HCC Hosts Law Enforcement Job Fair

By Shawn Gibson
Staff Writer

If you happened to be on the HCC campus on Friday, March 26, it might have appeared there was some kind of first responders training drill happening.

But it was not a drill; it was just the second annual Law Enforcement Job Fair, hosted by HCC.

Law enforcement and military officials converged on Beacon Hall with the hopes of attracting new recruits into their ranks. Recruiters were putting on their best faces to show why their branch of service or department of law enforcement has more appeal to an applicant. Bridgeport police were on hand with one of their K-9 units, who seemed more interested in chewing on his toys than the job fair.

Although the job fair didn’t draw hefty numbers of people, the participants were happy with the effort of the agencies.

"I was interested in the local police department and am glad they were at the job fair,” said Manuel Irizarry of Bridgeport.

Professor of Criminal Justice Joanne Anzenberger, who is also a veteran of the Stamford police department, is credited with arranging the event. She got the idea from a similar event hosted at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at The City University of New York.

Slightly down the hall, Cynthia Payne of New York Life Insurance Company offered free child identification services to any parent wanting to put their child’s finger prints, photos, DNA samples, or other identifying information on file with the company.

“Anzenberger invited the company in to provide the service to local children,” Payne said. She recounted that about 10 families came in and took advantage of the services being offered.

For more information on the New York Life Insurance Company, visit www.newyorklife.com. For information on recruiters, or to learn more about the Criminal Justice program at HCC, contact Joanne Anzenberger at 203.332.5212 or JAnzenberger@hcc.commnet.edu.

All photographs by Shawn Gibson.