Contrary to the rumors some of you may have heard—the report of my demise has been greatly exaggerated!

I am still the chairperson of the Criminal Justice Department. But, we have some changes for the better in the administration of the office. Vice President Konkoth has generously agreed to help with the organization of the office while we look for a new full time staff person to staff the office. I have been working on a variety of projects outside of the school and it has put a great deal of pressure on my time. But, the bottom line is everything is going along wonderfully, the program is expanding, and we are hiring some new faculty who will be fantastic additions to the ASA family — look for them in the summer!

On Sunday the 20^th of April we will have another FEMA certification class in Manhattan at 1 pm. I will teach the Radiological Hazards class. (Details are in the what’s happening section)

A large group of recent graduates are starting the Police Academy in July—CONGRATULATIONS!

So you want to be a New York City Police Officer. You scored well on your entrance examination. You are not worried about the background checks or medical and psychological tests because you have been very well behaved. You are working towards your 60 credits at ASA Institute. So what’s the big deal? Oh yeah, I forgot, there is a pre-employment physical agility test. Whether you are in the best shape of your life, working towards that New Years resolution, or are physically inactive, now is the time to get mentally and physically prepared!

The Job Standards Test or JST is designed to test your ability to perform various physical tasks that can be expected of a police officer in the line of duty. The JST is a timed event comprised of sic stations that must be completed in four minutes and twenty eight seconds without stopping. These six stations are the Barrier Surmount, Stair Climb, Physical Restraint Simulation, Pursuit Run, Victim Rescue, and Trigger pull.

A description of the JST is as follows:

· Clock Starts.

· From a kneeling, weapon-ready position the candidate sprints 50 feet to surmount a 6 foot barrier.

· The candidate proceeds to a 6-stair climb system and completes three over-and-back traverses.

· The candidate proceeds to a controlled-force tactics and training device which measures the ability to resist or control force in a physical restraint situation.

· The candidate proceeds to a run/jog around a pattern of cones for approximately 600 feet.

· The candidate proceeds to a simulated victim rescue involving a 35 foot drag of a 176 pound mannequin.

· The candidate proceeds to a trigger pull station, picks up an inoperative firearm, holds the firearm within a nine inch diameter metal ring and pulls the trigger 16 times with the dominant hand and 15 times with the non-dominant hand. Once inserted, the firearm must remain within the metal ring for the completion of the trigger pull cycles.

· The clock stops.

The NYPD offers tutoring for Police Officer Candidates.

For more information about the NYPD application process, go to the web at: http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/nypd/html/careers/application_overview.shtml

For information about how to prepare for the JST, go to: http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/nypd/html/careers/applicant_training.shtml

Professor Anthony J. D’Amico

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Greene, Graham Our Man in Havana

Cuba has recently been in the news a great deal. This is a very funny novel about pre-Castro’s Cuba and the Cold War. It involves a vacuum cleaner salesman who decides to play ‘spy’ to earn a few extra dollars to support an expensive daughter’s equestrian habits.

But, on another level it shows how mixed up some of the west’s intelligence agencies have been over the years. All in all a funny and relaxing read.

Prof. Bronfman

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Traven, B The Death Ship

Another work of fiction this one dealing with issues of immigration. A sailor has lost his identification and can’t priove he is an American Citizen or a citizen of any country for that matter! And becomes a man without a country—no one will take him in—he ends up on a broken down steam ship as part of the crew. It is an interesting novel about the problems of isolationism and immigration policy (the book was written prior to WWI).

Incidentally how would any of us prove our citizenship if we were to lose all of our papers overseas?

Prof. Bronfman

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April 20, 2008

Manhattan Campus, 31^st Street Building, 4^rd Floor

The entire ASA community and friends are invited to attend!

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