American Criminal Justice Association Brownsville Iota Kappa Chi chapter members who attended the ACJA Regional Conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, pose with the awards they received in competitions at the conference. Shown are (from left) Alexis Nieto, Sergeant-At-Arms Mandie Santibanez, Vice President Desiree Garcia, Historian Cynthia Ramirez, Treasurer Emily Sosa, Reyna Rodriguez, Faculty Adviser Michael Sanchez, Allison Hauser, Jacob Rodriguez, Secretary Kayla Navarro, President Devin Perez, Juan Rodriguez, Junior Adviser Marco Betancourt and Faculty Adviser Marguerite DeWitt.
Brownsville chapter wins big at Regional competition
UTRGV’s American Criminal Justice Association Brownsville chapter, Iota Kappa Chi, took home 32 medals and were named Grand Champions at the Region Two Conference hosted from Oct. 13 to 15 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Devin Perez, a criminal justice major and American Criminal Justice Association Brownsville president, said the chapter performed above expectations.
“Everything paid off for us,” Perez said. “We went in there expecting to do great, but I don’t think any one of us really expected us to come out on top, but, thankfully, we did.”
The conference included several organizations, such as the UTRGV Edinburg Sigma Kappa Chi and Brownsville chapters. Overall, six chapters were in attendance.
The American Criminal Justice Association Brownsville chapter placed first in several events, including both the Upper Division and the Professional Division Team Shooting competitions.
“With our chapter … we train all year-round, every Saturday,” Perez said. “We train under the guidance of Dr. Michael Sanchez [the association faculty adviser]. He gives us hands-on one-on-one training sessions with every person.”
Jacob Rodriguez, criminal justice junior and Brownsville chapter member, competed alongside other members in the Firearms competition.
“They had us shoot at the 7-, the 15- and the 21-yard lines and we are evaluated by our points,” Rodriguez said. “Our points is how we were ranked for first, second and third [place].”
He placed second in the Individual Upper Division Firearms competition and was one of three members in the Teams Upper Division Firearms competition, which placed first.
“All the effort and time we put in was obviously beneficial to us,” Rodriguez said.
He was one of three members on the team that placed third in the Upper Division section.
“We go in and we have to know exactly what was going on inside the scene … and how the person was killed … together as a team,” Rodriguez said.
Desiree Garcia, a criminal justice and psychology double major and ACJA-Brownville vice president, competed with Rodriguez in the Criminal Justice Investigation event.
“We learned how to do fingerprints collection, collecting biological evidence, collecting evidence in general [and] learning blood splatter,” Garcia said. “We did mock scenarios here when we did our meetings. … It gave us an advantage.”
Aside from the team events, the members also placed in individual events.
Perez placed first in the Physical Fitness for men ages 26-35 category and Rodriguez placed first in the same competition for men ages 18-25.
“They just ran us through that course,” Rodriguez said. “I had never seen that course in my life. I never have practiced it, never studied it. … I just did my own training with my little group. It’s a full course. It’s the exact course of the Oklahoma [Police Department].”
Coming back from the conference, the group has future plans to prepare for the Spring National competition.
“We are competing against chapters all over the country,” Perez said.
Garcia spoke about the life and career skills the members have learned from joining this organization.
“It helps you break out of your shell,” she said. “That’s something that we strive for … to help people get out there, [to] be professional, [show] leadership and take their stance.”
Rodriguez said that showing up to the practices is worth it.
“I believe the effort that you put in and the dedication showing up to these meetings, showing up to these practices … you’re gonna get a lot of knowledge that’s gonna be beneficial to your future,” Rodriguez said.
