Education

Hello! My name is Aaron T. Olson (ATO), and I teach FSA 345 -Multiculturalism in Emergency Services at Eastern Oregon University.

      You'd probably like to know about my background. How did I become qualified to teach this course? I've taught cultural diversity college courses since January 2002, and they have been offered online at Portland Community College since September 2009. Today, I continue to teach an online class for PCC. On January 9, 2012 Multiculturalism in Emergency Services began being offered as an accredited college course at Eastern Oregon University.  I have been teaching this class since then.      

      I am a U.S. Army Veteran in which I served overseas in West Germany (before the unification), in the enlisted ranks for 3 years in the Military Police Corps. Further, I am a retired military reservist, having spent 21 years combined service in the Oregon Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserves. In the Oregon Army National Guard I was a Sergeant First Class and platoon sergeant of a Military Police Detachment and in the U.S. Army Reserves I reached the rank of Captain, having served as a company commander and brigade staff officer.

     I am a retired police officer from the Oregon State Police in which I served 26 years, working in patrol, communications, recruiting, and finishing up as a sergeant in patrol. In my career with OSP, I worked on countless calls with fire and rescue service from multiple agencies/jurisdictions and emergency medical services. 

     As a patrol supervisor, I directed major crime scenes and traffic crash investigations. I reviewed and approved administrative, police, and use of force reports. I investigated allegations of police officer misconduct, conducted background checks, and participated in specialized tasks in community policing, dignitary protection with the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies, and teaching. In reaching out to new  immigrants and refugees, I initiated the "Police and Emergency Services" workshops at the Immigrant Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) in Portland, Oregon.

      My additional duties with OSP consisted of being a trainer at recruit academies and in-service schools and also teaching for the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). I taught at DPSST basic academies for police, corrections, parole and probation and public safety. I even taught regional training courses throughout Oregon for local, county and other state agencies via DPSST. In 2002, I received the statewide award of Regional Trainer of the year by DPSST.

       I have been an adjunct instructor at PCC on two different tours. The first time was from January, 1986 until March, 1989. I had to leave employment with PCC because I got promoted with OSP and was working 12 hour shifts. I started teaching again for PCC in January, 2001 when OSP was more flexible with my schedule. The classes I have taught for PCC are civil liability in criminal justice, courts, criminal investigations, cultural diversity for criminal justice and fire protection programs, evidence, police, and professions in criminal justice. I was selected to design and introduce the curriculum for the cultural diversity courses for both criminal justice and fire protection.

       In January, 2011, I was authorized by EOU to design the curriculum for this course. I am also a published textbook writer co-writing this textbook and Multicultural and Diversity Strategies for the Fire Service.

      Besides teaching on a regular basis for PCC and EOU, I have taught in the past as an adjunct professor for Concordia University, Portland, Oregon, and Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon. At Concordia University, I taught online classes in their  Homeland Security Program's Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. The classes were HLS 342 - Value and Security Policy and HLS 372 - Interest Integration for Homeland Security. At Pacific University, I taught a traditional campus class in their Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Law, and Society degree program. The class was CJLS 200 - Criminal Justice (Police, Courts, Corrections, and the Juvenile Justice System).

     For six and a half years, I worked for the Local Government Personnel Institute, Salem, OR (LGPI) as a part-time investigator on human resources issues. I conducted employment background investigations of city and county finalists; and investigations on elected city and county officials, police chiefs, and city and county employees. I handled a number of cases, including discrimination, gender bias, hostile work environment, retaliation, sexual harassment and any allegation of employee and/or elected official misconduct.

     Last, I am a consultant with A.T. Olson Consulting, L.L.C. specializing in expert opinions on police practices, human resource practices and customized training. I meet the criteria of an expert witness as outlined in the Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 702. I also meet the criteria of an expert witness as outlined in the Oregon Revised Statutes, 40.410, Rule 702. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE), has verified that A.T. Olson Consulting, L.L.C., is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and added to the Vendor Information Pages (VIP) (Links to an external site.). A.T. Olson Consulting, L.L.C., is eligible to participate in Veterans First Contracting Program opportunities with VA. Further, I am certified by the State of Oregon's Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) as a Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (SDVBE) and as a Emerging Small Business (ESB), Certification Number 12046.

       As a trainer, I started providing cultural diversity classes to firefighters in 2003, which includes  recruit academies and in-service training.  My training classes have been for Clackamas County Fire District 1 and the Northwest Association of Fire Trainers at their Metro Fire Officer Academy.

      In the State of Oregon, through the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, I am a licensed and bonded private Investigator. My license number is 113509. I handle criminal and civil investigations.

       Academically, I can identify with every college student because I completed two years of college at Chemeketa Community College; obtained a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice at Portland State University; and earned a Masters Degree in Education at Oregon State University.

     My philosophy of teaching an online course is that I'm a facilitator. This arrangement is similar to but different from many traditional classes, in that I won't be standing before students every day, helping to mediate the material for them (by lecturing, for example). The responsibility for "getting" the material in this course is the students, though I have done and will continue to do my best to create online learning activities that will help students learn. The key point is that an online course like this one requires maturity and responsibility on everyone's part. Think of me as a guide: I will be here to guide students on their  journey, but they must be prepared to do the walking. I cannot carry them.

     I am a published co-writer of three books. 1) Multicultural Law Enforcement: Strategies for Peacekeeing in a Diverse Society, 7th Edition, Pearson; 2) Multicultural and Diversity Strategies for the Fire Service, Pearson; 3) and CARE Approach: Seeking Solutions to Human Problems, Innovating Ink.