VITAL POLICY – Focus on Jefferson County CTE Education, Criminal Justice Class
Published under Jefferson County, Vital Policy
Tags: front, slideshow
Officer Jim Potts wears a lot of hats in the state of Tennessee concerning law enforcement and education, including his service as the Upper East Tennessee President of SkillsUSA, the student youth organization that serves all CTE disciplines. However, his most important hat bears the title of Criminal Justice Instructor at Jefferson County High School (JCHS).
Teaching students how to be a law enforcement officer involves a wide range of skills and knowledge of criminal and constitutional law, namely individual rights and court cases that determine criminal procedure and the fate of criminal defendants. Among such cases are Terry vs. Ohio and Pennsylvania vs. Mimms, both of which are relative to the Fourth Amendment and set standards for proper admissible searches by law enforcement officers.
The most famous of all landmark cases is Miranda vs. Arizona, the one that gave us the statement of defendant rights for custodial interrogations, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”
The Criminal Justice Class at JCHS partners with a variety of agencies that enhance instruction and provide students with real-world experiences and industry certifications. Jefferson County E911 trains and certifies students as emergency dispatchers.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office provides guest speakers and K9 demonstrations, as well as assisting with the preparation of SkillsUSA student competitors.
The course work is broken down into 4 levels of Criminal Justice instruction plus Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones). A link to the course standards is provided here.
Law, Public Safety, Corrections, & Security
Criminal Justice 1 (CJ) is the study of law enforcement (police officers), Corrections (prisons and jails), and Law (State and Federal law, Attorneys and the Court systems).
CJ2 is more of the same of CJ1, just more focused.
CJ3 is broken into Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), processing crime scenes, lawful matters, and officer’s roles in investigations.
CJ Students can earn credit with Walters State Community College after making a passing score on the Criminal Justice Dual Credit Exam.
UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems, drones), Instructor Potts is a FAA licensed part 107 UAS pilot and teaches students how drones are used as a First Responder, Search and Rescue, Accident Reconstruction, and for Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT).
“I am a licensed FAA private pilot and enjoy taking my students on airplane flights to introduce them to aviation and we study aviation careers in Criminal Justice. I have taken several of my students on their first flights ever and have some that are looking to start training for future careers in flight.” – said Officer Jim Potts
Among many other roles, Officer Jim Potts lists the following accolades in his inventory of current and past experiences and valuable resources that he brings to the Criminal Justice Students at Jefferson County High School.
Deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for 23 years
Patrolman for the Jefferson City Police Department
Tennessee State Constable
Part time officer at the University of TN Medical Center
Former operator on the SORT (SWAT) team
Worked as a horse mounted officer
Crisis Intervention Team member
Firearms Instructor
SRO at JCHS for three years
TIMS Instructor
UTMC officer of the year 2019
Top Gun award winner
As part of the CJ instructional program, students participate in activities of SkillsUSA that include visits to attractions like Historic Brushy Mountain State Prison, fun nights at Dave and Buster’s Corn Mazes, bowling, and several other events that allow students to interact with the community. Students also compete in regional Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Justice (police officer), Job Interview, Occupational Demonstrations, Prepared Speech, and Extemporaneous Speech. Several students have earned first, second and third place titles.
Students earn the right to wear the official Criminal Justice Uniform and work events to learn public safety practices and to help at school events, ball games, and Night of the Patriots. They also assist with public safety at public and school events by watching out for the general safety of the public, providing medical aid, directing traffic, providing escorts, and assisting law enforcement with simple tasks.
To help parents of young children, students have fingerprinted young children for future ID purposes if needed at events, reunited kids and elderly people with their families when lost, provided first aid while waiting for EMS, directed traffic and parked vehicles, and set up real-world landing zones for emergency medical situations.
The Jefferson County High School Career and Technical Education Department is under the expert direction of Missy Hayes.
David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level.