JWU Criminal Justice Program Brings RI Police Training to Campus

JWU’s Criminal Justice program recently hosted a statewide training that drew more than 100 active police, corrections and probation officers to the Providence Campus — the latest example of how the program’s industry connections shape what students learn in class. 

Lecturer Stephen Riccitelli and Assistant Professor Barbara Frazier helped bring the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) training program to JWU using their connections with law enforcement and correctional departments around Rhode Island.  Both Riccitelli and Frazier have decades of experience in the field, and they attended the training so they can bring the material into their classes this fall. 

A Two-Day Training to Help Protect Children 

The IPC training program helps law enforcement officers recognize and rescue children who are in danger or are being exploited, identify people who may harm them and understand the immediate courses of action they can take. Officers are already skilled at spotting suspicious behavior and stopping illegal activity like drugs and weapons, but this training builds on those skills to teach them how to focus on victims and better handle cases involving child abuse and exploitation. 

“It's really about identifying kids who might be being trafficked or in some sort of harmful situation where they can't ask for help, so it's teaching law enforcement how to recognize the signs and address them,” says Frazier. “I will bring this training to my Victimology class, Juvenile Justice class, and share not only the information, but some of the experiences that the speakers shared with us to my students as case studies.” 

The instructors and speakers represented a variety of departments, services and centers. Hosting the training were three Texas DPS employees; Lieutenant Bruce Sherman, Resilience Instructor Bunny Terrell and Sergeant Jake Boyd. Speakers included RI Special Assistant Attorney General Taylor Matook; Detective Corporal Jonathan Elliott of the RI State Fusion Center, a state intelligence hub for sharing threat-related information; Ann Murphy, the regional director of RI’s Department of Children Youth & Families (DCYF) Child Protective Services division; and Michelle Loranger, the executive director of Day One RI, an agency that offers support and services for victims of sexual assault and interpersonal violence. Representatives of the RI State Police were also present to assist with the event.

Faculty with Real Law Enforcement Careers 

Riccitelli is a retired police captain who served for 25 years in the North Smithfield, Rhode Island, police department. During his career, Riccitelli worked his way through the ranks from patrol officer to operations captain. He also served on the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force with Rhode Island State Police and the Sex Offender Law Enforcement Multi-Disciplinary Network (SOLEMN) Task Force with the U.S. Marshals Service. He worked closely with RI State Police to bring the training program to JWU.

Before coming to JWU, Frazier spent 20 years working in patrol, community policing and detective divisions in the Warwick, Rhode Island, police department. She also worked with local, state and federal agencies in forming task forces to combat child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Now as educators, Riccitelli and Frazier use their experience and relationships with state and local police to coordinate opportunities for his students and the Criminal Justice program, including the IPC training. 

“We use these contacts for guest speakers in our classes,” Frazier says. “I know Stephen Riccitelli has brought in one of the probation and parole people here into his Offender Assessment and Case Management course. We also had the Rhode Island State Police representative, who is the head of the Sex Offender Registration program, at this training. These are all people who get involved in our other trainings at JWU so that our students can make these professional connections.” 

What’s Next: Opening the Training to JWU Students 

The training culminated in an exam that certified attendees as IPC officers. Frazier, Riccitelli and the entire Criminal Justice program hope to continue the relationship with Texas DPS and host the training annually so that students can also participate — giving the next generation of criminal justice professionals the chance to build their skills, credentials and network before they graduate.  

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