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Northland Welcomes New Criminal Justice Program Director & Instructor

Academics

Northland Welcomes New Criminal Justice Program Director & Instructor

Law enforcement veterans bring over 45 years of combined experience to the college.

David Lovly and Randy Sondrol, Northland welcomes two Criminal Justice alumniAugust 12, 2022 – Northland Community & Technical College welcomes two Criminal Justice alumni to campus this fall as new instructors. David Lovly, will serve as the program’s director, and Randy Sondrol as an instructor. Both Lovly and Sondrol graduated from Northland’s Criminal Justice program under the instruction of James Jesme, who retired in the spring of 2022 after 20 years of service to the college.

Lovly is a Goodridge, MN native who obtained his A.A.S. in Criminal Justice from Northland and his B.S. from the University of Minnesota Crookston. He previously served with the Pennington and Red Lake County Sheriff’s Offices and was a member of the Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force. He had the privilege to work with Northland students as a use of force instructor under former program director Jesme.

Lovly has worked alongside skilled officers and investigators in homicide investigations and drug-related and violent crimes. He is committed to sharing the knowledge he has learned throughout his career as it applies both to job-based performance and the mental health trials officers face in the profession.

“This is a pivotal time within the law enforcement community in which adaption to the world we live in needs to take place,” shared Lovly. “Respect must be implemented, but yet, we need to equip our new officers with the ability to be confident and feel safe once they leave our college.”

Adding his over 30 years of experience to the program is Randy Sondrol from Erskine, MN. Like Lovly, Sondrol also received his A.A.S. degree in Criminal Justice from Northland. He worked for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office as a Patrol Deputy, Investigator, Narcotics Officer, SWAT Officer, and Sergeant before retiring from the Department this fall. Northland is like home to Sondrol as he has been an adjunct instructor in the Department for over 12 years.

“During my 32 years of service, I realized I had the most satisfaction training Northland students and new officers in the department and watching them succeed and advance in their careers,” stated Sondrol.

Both Lovly and Sondrol share the desire to build upon Northland’s well-established program and want to advance it with the changing times and hope that this can help put the profession in a positive light.

“In the big picture, I want to help turn around some negative views toward law enforcement,” Sondrol explained. “That will hopefully spark the interest of young people in the community to join the program and enter a Criminal Justice career.”

Lovly expanded upon Sondrol’s sentiments, “We must maintain the highest standards for our criminal justice students to provide the best for our communities. No matter what challenges we face, we must overcome our mistakes and do what is best for those around us and ourselves. As educators, we must strive to ensure that each and every one of our students is consistent, respectful, and resilient as they enter this great profession.”

If you are considering a career in criminal justice, Northland is still accepting students in the program for this fall semester. Interested students should visit www.northlandcollege.edu/start and complete the online inquiry form. Or, to schedule an advising appointment, please contact Northland Admissions at (800) 959-6282, enrollment@northlandcollege.edu, or text at (218) 496-3158.