As the fall semester opens, new additions will be making their way to the Department of Criminal Justice.

Department Chair and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Dr. Kenneth Cairns, spoke about these changes and the impact they will have. 

“We’ve actually hired two new full-time faculty members, both who are retired special agents for the FBI,” Cairns said. “We’re thrilled to have them here. It really adds to a diverse faculty mix that we’ve got in there already. We couldn’t be any happier.”

Speaking about the backgrounds of the new professors, Cairns said, “Professor O’Mahoney comes to us from the FBI in New York City and also in Pittsburgh, with a specialty in interview and interrogation.  Professor Frankhauser, who will be coming to us in January, comes to us with a specialty in cyber security.”

Cairns also spoke about the department’s hiring philosophy with the new professors. 

“…it just reaffirms our commitment to hiring people who have had entire careers in criminal justice, who teach not only from the book and from PowerPoint, but more importantly from real-life experience.”

Regarding his new position, the previously mentioned Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Michael O’Mahoney, said, “I’m really, really excited and happy to be here. This is my first formal teaching position, and I’m looking forward to hopefully sharing what I’ve learned in a long law enforcement career with the students here.”

O’Mahoney said he chose to apply for a teaching position because of the experience of the other professors, the hands-on nature of the program and the Crime Scene Investigation House, which he said was a unique aspect of the program. 

In addition to his real world experience, O’Mahoney also explained that he wants to teach his students certain values as well. 

“We started off the first class with Aretha Franklin, a video of her singing ‘Respect.’ I think that’s a hallmark of how you should be in life, but especially in law enforcement, especially in today’s day and age, it’s important to try to treat people, no matter in what situation, whether they’re a defendant or whether they’re a co-worker, treat people with respect and that goes a long way.”

According to O’Mahoney, he is teaching four classes this semester: CRJ 109 Criminal Justice Administration, two sessions of CRJ 218 Criminal Investigation and CRJ 405 Interview and Interrogation.

Another new element to the Department is the Criminal Justice House, which, while still under construction, is “almost completed,” according to Cairns. He added, “We are expecting to do the ribbon-cutting in the middle of October.”

Describing the utility of the new facility, Cairns said it has “the latest in technology,” in addition to classrooms and a conference room. 

According to Cairns, when the facility opens, the Department of Criminal Justice, including its classes, professors and offices, will “…be moving out of Buhl and kind of starting all over again. We’re looking forward to it. It’s a very exciting time.”  

Cairns added that the current CSI House will continue to be used by the Department, but only for simulations. This includes the transformation of an old classroom into a simulated courtroom.

Cairns welcomes curious students to request tours of the new facility. 

“We’d like as many people to see it and to get to meet Professor O’Mahoney as possible.”