Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 3, 2005

Contact: Eric Smith, Public Relations Assistant

(570) 893-7024; Public Relations Service Requests: PR WEB SITE

A changing agency

DEA recruiter talks to LHU criminal justice students

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Federal law enforcement agencies are recruiting at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania (LHU).

On Wednesday, Feb. 2, Special Agent Louis Troup Jr., a recruiter out of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Philadelphia office, visited criminal justice instructor Dwayne Marshall's class to talk about how the agency is changing, its employment opportunities and the DEA's role in the current state of world affairs. Troup said it is a different DEA than it was years ago.

"It's more diverse," he told both main campus LHU students, and those watching the lecture at LHU's Clearfield campus through video-conferencing. "We have a new administration."

DEA's top administrator is Karen Tandy, and its deputy administrator is Michele Leonhart, he said.

"For the first time, we have two women running a major law enforcement agency," Troup added. "And DEA is the premier international law enforcement agency. Whether we are talking about Russia, Australia, Africa or South America, we are across the globe."

Other changes at DEA reflect the way criminals are conducting operations, he said. Because of the government's ability to track bank accounts and money flow, it is harder and harder for criminals to hide drug money.

"These people aren't stupid," Troup said. "They are finding more and more creative ways to hide the money. You can only store $1 million for so long until it is traced. The police could find it. The state could find. So the smart drug traffickers have to find creative ways to store the money. They have to take several steps in order to make it legitimate."

Because of this, DEA is not only looking for criminal justice majors, but it is looking for graduates with backgrounds in finance, economics, and accounting, he said. People who understand finances are needed to help track off-shore bank accounts, casino operations and real estate transactions. Individuals with computer, telecommunications and engineering backgrounds also are being recruited because criminals are using technology and the Internet to hide and disperse drug money, he said.

Troup said there are some important requirements in order to be considered for the DEA. He is looking for college graduates that have a 2.95 GPA or better, and who haven't been involved in drug use or activities.

Recruits also must expect to move around if they are hired by the DEA. Troup, who has worked for agency for 17 and a half years, said he has traveled extensively.

"I've had some great life experiences," he said after his lecture. "I've traveled to South America and spent time in the jungles of Bolivia tracking cocaine smugglers. They've put me through language school for Spanish. And I've had military training with the Rangers."

But in his current role as recruiter for both Pennsylvania and Delaware, Troup said he couldn't be more pleased.

"I love my job," he said. "I always try to let people know that if they try, they can make it. I grew up in Camden, N.J., in the projects. I was a little guy from a small town. And through hard work, determination and staying clean, they (the students) can be what I am today."

One college recruit who has done well over the years is James M. Kasson, special agent in charge at the Philadelphia office, Troup said.

"As a rookie agent, he was recruited right out of Boston College," Troup said. "Now, 22 years later, he's the special agent in charge."

Now is a particularly good time for college graduates to apply, he said. For 2005, DEA hopes to recruit 450 people from the region, and just as many the following year, he said.

Dwayne Marshall, the instructor who invited Troup to speak to his class for the second consecutive year, said Troup is one of many law enforcement representatives to visit his class over the semester.

"I like to establish networks and contacts, being in law enforcement myself," Marshall said.

Other upcoming guests Marshall plans to have in the classroom include representatives from the state police, Dept. of State, U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, U.S. Marshals, the federal witness protection service and the state Dept. of Parks and Recreation. The idea is to expose the students to several vocational possibilities, Marshall said.

As for one LHU criminal justice student, the DEA is not a place where he is considering employment.

"It's not something I would consider doing," said junior Curtis Confer, a criminal justice major.

Confer, however, found the experience useful.

"It's nice to have the opportunity to have people from different agencies come in and talk to us about what they do," he said.

For more information on DEA, visit the agency's Web site, www.dea.gov.

Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania is a member of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. The State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 375,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

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