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Community Corner

Bridgeview Detective Visits Northwestern College Criminal Justice Class to Discuss DUIs

[Bridgeview, IL]  Days before the Memorial Day Holiday, Bridgeview Police Detective Timothy Prince visited Northwestern College’s Bridgeview Campus to speak with students in Charles Chigas’ Criminal Justice class about DUIs. Memorial Day weekend is the start of the summer holiday season, a holiday which many times includes alcohol consumption, making for a busy weekend for law enforcement. Detective Prince’s stories this week provided a great deal of food for thought for these students who are interested in joining the ranks of local police departments after they earn their degrees.

Detective Prince, a 24 year veteran of the Bridgeview Police Department, is credited with over 700 DUI arrests over his career in Bridgeview, thus he had a lot of “war stories” to share with the students. “What do you do when you come upon a vehicle at an intersection with the driver passed out behind the wheel and reeking of alcohol, but with his foot on the brake and the car in drive?” he asked the students. If you startle them, he advised, they could lurch into the intersection and kill a family in an oncoming car. They could also hurt themselves, he added. What about driving impaired by drugs, he challenged them? They won’t always register a blood alcohol level, but they could be higher than a kite, he cautioned. Applying the law to real life scenarios of what officers find on the streets made for a riveting class discussion, and invoked lots of questions from the students.

Northwestern College’s Criminal Justice Program frequently features speakers like Detective Prince, sharing the tools of the trade and what students will find when they begin working in their fields. Complimenting textbook learning with real life experience provides students with a truer picture of what they’ll encounter when they enter their fields. Detective Price is a returning speaker, one who definitely captures his audience’s attention.

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About Northwestern College:

Northwestern College (NC) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, www.ncahlc.org. The college offers focused career-oriented associate degree and certificate programs with flexible schedules and a supportive faculty. Day, evening, weekend, online classes and online programs are available, with campuses in Chicago and Bridgeview as well as Online. More information can be found at www.northwesterncollege.edu or by calling toll-free (888) 205-2283.

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