GHANA SESSION: NJ DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE; DETECTIVE RUSSELL KINGSLAND, DETECTIVE CHRISTIANSEN, SERGEANT RICH DaSilva

The guests kept on growing this year for Project Ghana. Just recently detective Russell Kingsland, Detective Christiansen, and Sergeant Rich DaSilva joined by a video conference Mr. Wronko’s students from Asbury Park High School and Papa Williams’ students at the Solid Rock Foundation school in Ghana. They all belonged to the NJ Division of Criminal Justice. Each guest spoke about what the duties of the Division of Criminal Justice were.

The detectives spoke about how this department investigated and stopped gang related problems, bias crimes, and illegal acts being performed over the internet. Also, all guests mentioned the challenges that the pandemic posed while performing their job. For instance, while out in the field, they had to worry about individuals not wearing masks especially with how easily Covid 19 could spread.

In addition, Mr. Kingsland, Mr. Christiansen, and Mr. DaSilva talked about their education and why they picked this profession. They also mentioned how to balance their personal life with their career because their job was demanding with very long hours.

After their presentation, all students asked them numerous questions. Some of the questions they asked were:

1. What was the hardest part about your job?
2. Did you have any overwhelming cases?
3. What did you like about your job to keep your enthusiasm up?
4. Did you feel that detective movies portray members in your department correctly?
5. Did you ever deal with international cases?

The guests were happy that they could attend a Ghana session and look forward to joining another session in the near future.

On a personal note, I just want to thank Veronica Allende with her assistance in introducing me to these guests and expanding the program at Asbury Park High School.

Disclaimer from our guests:

The views we expressed during our meeting with your students were solely our own and not those of the N.J. Office of the Attorney General, N.J. Division of Criminal Justice, or the United States Government.