SORA (Security Officer Registration Act) training is coming to RCBC! Amber Ciccanti, an Assistant Professor for RCBC’s Criminal Justice Department, is responsible for bringing this training to our campus. We spoke with Professor Ciccanti about bringing SORA training to RCBC, the in-and-outs of the program and her interest in preparing others for success in law enforcement.

Q: What is your Criminal Justice or security background?

“I am an Assistant Professor here at RCBC in the Criminal Justice Department. I am a retired police sergeant from the Willingboro Police Department, and prior to becoming a police officer I was a licensed and bonded private security officer in the State of Tennessee... I also worked for an entertainment company based in New Jersey in both their uniformed division and their investigative division.

“The instructor for the SORA training is Mr. Corey Jones who is a certified SORA instructor in the State of New Jersey. Mr. Jones currently operates his own business called Safetyman Consulting where he provides a variety of training and education in firearms, de-escalation, and other topics. Prior to focusing solely on his own business, he was a police officer with the Mount Laurel Police Department, retiring at the rank of sergeant.”

Q: What is the general idea of SORA training? 

“SORA (Security Officer Registration Act) training is required training in the State of New Jersey for anyone who wants to work in private security or as a private investigator under their own license. There are opportunities for someone to work under someone else’s license or for an agency not controlled by this act. What this training does though, is open up more job opportunities in the field, which often comes with better pay since they can operate under their own license.”

Q: How does it work and what fields does it pertain to?

“The industry growth of the private security field has out-paced the growth of public police for decades. This field has been, and will likely continue to be, a growing industry that offers not only good jobs but life-long careers and advancement. The security field has numerous entry level, mid-level and management level positions. There are private security officers in almost all high-traffic public spaces, mass private places-like stadiums and concert venues, and some companies even contract with the government or other private entities to subsidize the police at large-scale events like the Olympics.”

Q: What made you decide to bring SORA training to RCBC?

“The reason I wanted to bring SORA training to the college is two-fold. First, for my Criminal Justice students to gain relevant work experience, and second, to create opportunities for the community to begin a new career.”

Q: How does SORA training benefit students (and the community)?

“For students, the benefit of getting SORA training and then obtaining employment in the security field is the work experience they will gain. Most law enforcement agencies want to hire students who have some sort of work history before entering a law enforcement career. But there are agencies who want prospective candidates to have relevant work history. Many students work in some form of a retail job, which is great and a vitally important role in our society. For a lot of agencies, that work history would be acceptable. However, it is not going to be viewed as relevant work to agencies that specifically require it, especially federal and some state agencies. By getting SORA trained, students have better access to relevant work. In addition, any students who choose this path will gain some insight into what it is like to work with the public in the area of safety services.

“For the community, private security provides jobs and/or careers for those who wish to endeavor in some sort of safety services, but do not want to enter the field of policing or corrections. SORA training is the first step in changing careers or beginning a new one. The training is held here at RCBC, and is run by Workforce Development (WDI), which offers high-quality professional and continuing education for those entering or already in the workforce. It is not a college-credit based program, but a program that awards those who register and pass the training the security license required by the state.

“As long as those who sign up complete the three-day training, they will be able to earn their security officer license. In addition, whether or not registrants choose to be armed for private security, the training is the same, making it a “one-stop-shop” no matter which you choose. There is an additional step, which is a criminal history check conducted and completed directly through the state police. Once that is complete, you can immediately enter the workforce as a licensed and certified Private Security Officer.”

To register and learn more about RCBC’s SORA training event, visit https://rcbc.edu/sora-training-series.