Morris County Sheriff Chief Officer Kelley Zienowicz Offers CCM Students Guidance on Choosing a Law Enforcement Career
Published on November 22, 2019
Morris County Sheriff's Office Chief Officer Kelley Zienowicz offered a candid glimpse into her career path and its challenges to County College of Morris students during a Career Week presentation on the college campus.
Morris County Sheriff's Office Chief Officer Kelley Zienowicz, right, with CCM Criminal Justice Assistant Professor Dr. Maureen Kazaba.
Chief Zienowicz, a sworn Officer for 20 years, is the sole female Chief in Morris County since her promotion from Detective Lieutenant on September 3. She is responsible for the day-to-day oversight over 120 sworn Officers and non-sworn staff working within three divisions in the Sheriff's Office Bureau of Law Enforcement.
Chief Zienowicz, who was invited to speak on November 21 at CCM by Criminal Justice Assistant Professor Dr. Maureen Kazaba, gave a roomful of students advice on steps to take if they are considering a law enforcement career and noted how she learned to maintain a professional, emotional neutrality when working on major crimes that included homicide, aggravated and sexual assaults.
Earlier in the week, Morris County Sheriff's Office Investigator Ashley Craig spoke to students about internship opportunities, and Sheriff's Office Detective Sergeant Craig Brooks spoke about his role in the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) unit.
Morris County Sheriff's Office Chief Officer Kelley Zienowicz speaking at a Career Week seminar at County College of Morris on November 21,2019.
She advised students to seek out connections and apply for internships and summer jobs in law enforcement to see if the career meets their expectations. Investing time early on exploring the scope of a career, she said, can prevent future disillusionment and loss of time and money.
Making those judgments of ˜That's not for me' is maybe more important than ˜That's a cool job,' Chief Zienowicz said. It's important to take the global look at a career before investing the time.
Chief Zienowicz graduated the Morris County Basic Police Class in May 2001 and was on the job at the Sheriff's Office while pursuing her master's degree in forensic psychology. Shortly before the September 11, 2001 terroristic attacks on the World Trade Center, she was tapped to fill a detective's position in the Sheriff's Office's Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) unit.
She told the CCM students that she had dreamed of one day working for the FBI and, tragically, September 11th provided that opportunity as CSI and other Morris County Sheriff's Officers assisted the federal agency in their massive investigation into the attacks.
Morris County Sheriff's Office Chief Officer Kelley Zienowicz speaks to a group of CCM students about her profession during Career Week at the CCM campus.
The experience, Chief Zienowicz said, made her appreciate the expertise of the FBI but realize she wanted to stay at the Morris County Sheriff's Office, where the CSI unit was immersed every day in investigations. She remained in CSI for 11 years, and achieved multiple promotions and worked or supervised other divisions before her ultimate promotion to Chief Sheriff's Officer in September.
In the summer of 2018, a nomination led to her attendance at the 273rd Session of the prestigious FBI National Academy, a 10-week course of study in Quantico, Virginia.
In response to student inquiries, Chief Zienowicz said she has always perceived positivity toward law enforcement Officers in Morris County but is aware and disheartened that her counterparts in other parts of the country have endured some harsh criticism.
Morris County Sheriff's Office Chief Officer Kelley Zienowicz with County College of Morris Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Catherine Broderick.
She also described balancing life as a parent with a demanding job when she was an on-call detective, and stressed the importance of a supportive family that understands outings may have to be canceled or holidays celebrated a day or two late.
It's something your family has to know comes with the deal, Chief Zienowicz said.
As for managing emotions while collecting evidence at a homicide or scene of violence, Chief Zienowicz told the students that all detectives are human and would have natural strong reactions but are trained to focus on the tasks at hand.
You kind of develop a shell. The empathy is still there, but you have a job to do, she said.
Having a reliable, trustworthy support system at work and access to crisis response teams and clergy also is essential, she said.
We are each other's keeper, she said of her fellow Officers.