Criminal Justice Officer Gerard Walls Essay

I believe that everyone faces many obstacles in life that will either guide them in the right direction or the wrong direction. There’s a man who decided to make his wrongs into his rights. He started his journey when he was 18 years old, and has came a long way since then. I’ve seen him accomplish a lot of great things in the schools and communities. After interviewing Officer Gerard Walls, he became another person that helped open my eyes to all of possibilities in the criminal justice field.

Officer Gerard Walls chose to go into the criminal justice field and he became a police officer. He chose this life after he had gotten arrested and an officer seen a lot of good in him and lent him a hand. Officer Gerard realized that he could help

other people around him the same way he was helped. He found himself not only following and making footsteps to help others, but he’s following his father's footsteps as well. To my surprise I realized that both Mr. Walls and I, are two people who are following in their dad's footsteps, being that they were both police officers. My dad is a major influence in my decision to go into the criminal justice field and become a juvenile probation officer. I’ve had the experience to see the good that people in the criminal justice field were able, tried, or still trying to do. I realize that in this field that there will be big risk that I will face. I know and believe that I won't let anything stop me from being the person i'm suppose to be and continue to fight for what’s right. No one should feel as if they can’t fight for justice. Fight to help make a change. Help save people from the path they are going down. I want to help make a change in the world.

“I’ve used my job to help the community by positively affecting the lives of young people because they are the next wave of adults.

So we have to prepare them for the world,” quoted by Officer Gerard Walls. What I took from this saying was that, the youth today need to learn and grow on the right path because as they get older things won’t come easier, they’ll be a little more challenging. I was able to witness the help that officer Walls was able to provide in the community and schools. From the time I was in elementary school until now Officer Walls had made an impact in my life. No matter where I seen him at he always stopped to make sure everything was okay and offer his help. He has given his support, encouragement, and trust within the community. He is someone who uses his job to make sure he can keep the people in his community safe and together.There was a show called Beyond Scared Straight that selected Officer Walls program to be featured on it. On the show he was show how he was fighting to help make a change in the lives of troubled young adults. The program showed them the life they could be living if they continued to go down the troubled path they were going down. Watching that show, I realized that there are so many kids that want to do better but they just don’t know how to. All it takes is for one person to make a difference for a change to happen. I believe he just wants us to believe in ourselves the same way he does. Everyone needs a push in life. I

want the things that I do in life to help not only make me stronger but the people around me stronger. I want people to realize the good that I do in the community. I want to show them that even though things can take a turn for the worst, there can be a better outcome in the end.
“It takes a special person to run towards danger”. You have to be willing to put yourself before others to protect them. In this field you never know the type of challenges you will have to face. You have to learn how to be able to separate your personal feelings from professional responsibilities. Having your personal feelings involved can throw off how you do your job. I asked Officer Walls, what was one of the scariest things he’s ever encountered in the criminal justice field.? He responded with an armed bank robber. This robber was shooting at the cops and was trying to hide out inside of a shed from cops. Officer Walls was scared because he realized that this person was armed and at any time he could get shot. Despite the fact of being scared he was still putting himself out in front of danger no matter what. He knew he couldn’t let fear stop him. He continued to push and stay strong.
During this interview I’ve learned that being in the criminal justice field, I must be free from felonies and I must pass the police academy.

Some great positions in the criminal justice field are school resource officers, crime scene investigator, patrolman, detective, gang unit investigator, fugitive team investigator, traffic officer, narcotics and many other great positions. He also told me that getting a degree in accounting for forensics could help me get a job with various federal agencies like the FBI or IRS. I want to be a juvenile probation officer after I receive my degree in sociology with a concentration of criminal justice. A juvenile probation officer job is to supervise youth who have been accused or convicted of crimes and they have been placed on probation or under protective supervision. In this field I get to work with police officers, social services, schools and families. I know that in this field I need to have more than a bachelor's degree if i ever wanted to become a juvenile probation supervisor or administration position. Different states have different requirements for obtaining different positions in this

field.
Being a juvenile probation officer, I believe I can really make a difference in young people’s lives as they go through their process. I want to show them that there is a different and brighter path for them. I know there are some young people who just need that push in their life. I think of my personal experiences and become more and more thankful that I was able to have people who wanted to see me do better. I may not have went into the system but I know what it’s like to get close to that point. I was able to see that, that wasn’t the life I wanted to live. There were other opportunities in life for me, I just had to reach for them. So that’s what I’m doing. Im reaching and pushing my way to the top. I want to be able to help and provide the same push for the youth the same way i was helped.