Jaeger also set his sights on accreditation for the department. Today, the department looks much the way Jaeger imagined. It is strong and diverse, with specialists in a variety of areas, such as risk assessment, field operations and electronic investigations. And it is among a select group of law enforcement agencies that are accredited. The first thing new DPS director Jaeger did was to increase hiring standards, requiring college degrees of all new officers.
Most managers now have advanced degrees.
Diffusing dicey situations Among the specialists on the staff is clinical psychologist Gene Deisinger. He heads the behavioral sciences unit, the only such unit in the area, and is an expert in risk assessment and developing plans to diffuse dicey situations. Such situations might involve employees, students or spouses who have threatened another or might harm themselves. The assessment also includes reviews of current stress factors that might trigger a violent reaction. One of the tools the team uses is a computer program, which analyzes cases in a systematic fashion and calculates the potential for escalation to serious violence.