Montgomery County Community College is now offering a Homeland Security concentration in its Criminal Justice and Emergency Management degrees. Program Director Benn Prybutok says students learn about the laws and functions of various government agencies, but that’s only part of it.

“There’s going to be a heavy emphasis on civil liberties and seeing to it that we effectuate a secure environment and protect our borders and protect our harbors and ports and public aviation, and all of our public infrastructure, while at the same time seeing to it that we’re not laying waste to our Bill of Rights.”

He says the county has a large and growing public safety department.

“There is a unified communications and dispatch system in place right now, there is a centralized Emergency Operations Center located in Eagleville.  That’s all operated by the county, and a number of our students do find employment with the Department of Public Safety.”

He says security needs exist at every level of government and in the private sector.  He says Merck, for example, is a very security-conscious company with unique exposures.

“They have chemical, biological and radiological exposures on site.  These need to be secured and plans need to be in place.  If there is a breach or a problem there needs to be a prompt private response on the part of the company.  They have their own fire brigade so that they have instantaneous response.  They also have to be in a position to work closely with the local and state emergency services.”

Prybutok says emergency management is one of the top growth areas for future employment, and it goes far beyond international terrorism, which is just a small piece of the entire puzzle.