Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka | Nevada Army Guard 485th Military Police Company 1st Sgt. Kevin Johnson recently sensed...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka
Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs
NORTH LAS VEGAS – Approaching his mid-30s in age and holding a secure desk job two years ago, 485th Military Police Company 1st Sgt. Kevin Johnson sensed his lifelong dream of becoming a police officer fading away.
But with backing and support from the Work for Warriors Nevada program, Johnson decided to “take the plunge” into the law enforcement field; today, he’s a full-fledged Nevada Highway Patrol urban traffic division trooper patrolling Clark County’s thoroughfares most nights of the week.
Work for Warriors Nevada is a free National Guard-sponsored employment program that provides employment assistance for Guardsmen, reservists, Veterans, transitioning active-duty military personnel and military family members. The program provides myriad services, including help with job services, resume writing and interview-skill refinement. The program also helps with those “underemployed” or, as was the case with Johnson, those looking to transition into other careers.
Johnson, who was previously Nevada’s state drug and alcohol control officer, is completely satisfied with his mid-career choice to change occupations. He encourages other Soldiers and Airmen who have considered a career in law enforcement to mirror his path and take advantage of the Work for Warriors’ close relationship with the Department of Public Safety.
“I absolutely love going to work every day. It’s a dynamic, fast-paced job where you can quickly see your effect on the community,” said Johnson, 34, of Las Vegas. “I’d encourage anybody with a military background to apply, not just those with a military police background.”
Johnson is one of 10 Nevada Guardsmen to gain employment in the Department of Public Safety (which includes nine entities including the Nevada Highway Patrol, the Capitol Police and the state fire marshal) since Work for Warriors Nevada and the DPS established an accelerated assessment program for Guardsmen in the winter of 2017.
In the accelerated program, Guardsmen complete their written, physical and interview assessments in just one day versus the usual 3-9 month assessment period for the general population. All 10 Nevada Guardsmen who have started the DPS academy have successfully graduated. (Spc. Frankie Martinez of the 72nd Military Police Company began the academy but passed away from cancer March 25.)
According to DPS training division Cpl. Lorena Perez, Guardsmen and Veterans make for excellent applicants because they can usually exceed the department’s minimum physical requirements and pass the background checks at a higher rate than the general population. They are also familiar with stressful training environments.
The statistics confirm Perez’s notions: According to Work for Warriors statistics, more than 50 percent of Guard and Veteran applicants reach the background investigation stage of the assessment process in comparison to just 2 percent of general population applicants. As of March, 72 Guard Soldiers and Airmen as well as Veterans had applied to DPS since the accelerated assessment program began.
The close association between the Nevada Guard and DPS entails more than the accelerated assessment program; since late 2016, the DPS has conducted its southern academy at the Clark County Armory at the Edsall Readiness Center, 6400 N. Range Road in Las Vegas. Academy classes alternate between northern and southern Nevada; the current course is being held in Carson City.
Toni Giddens, the program manager for Work for Warriors, emphasized that Work for Warriors is not solely focused on assisting Guardsmen with the acquisition of law enforcement jobs. She said there is high demand in Nevada for a wide variety of jobs and many companies are seeking Guard applicants, including Zappo’s, Southwest Gas Corporation, other state of Nevada agencies, the Department of Homeland Security, and multiple information technology companies.
A huge job fair highlighting a wide spectrum of both government and private-sector jobs is set for Wednesday, April 25, when Work for Warriors Nevada and the state of Nevada’s Human Resource Division co-host the Innevation Center Job Fair. The fair is set to begin at 10 a.m. at the Rob Roy Innevation Center, 6795 Edmond Street, in Las Vegas. Attendees are requested to register for the fair at www.eventbrite .com.
For general employment placement assistance at any time, call Work for Warriors Nevada at 702-632-0551 in southern Nevada or 775-384-5812 in northern Nevada.
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 10.26.2018 18:58 |
| Story ID: | 273544 |
| Location: | LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 165 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Work for Warriors Nevada: Striving to make employment dreams reality, by SFC Erick Studenicka, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
