Tim Thomas knows what it feels like to be on the right side鈥攁nd the wrong side鈥攐f the law.
Thomas, program director of the Criminal Justice: Corrections program at 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Stockton campus, dreamed of a career in law enforcement and criminal justice since he was 14 years old. That鈥檚 when he became a police cadet with the San Leandro police department. He went on to work as a parole assistant for the Stockton parole department while playing college basketball at California State University-Stanislaus, where he earned his B.A. in Criminal Justice.
But while he was working as a loss prevention manager for a major retail chain in 2007, Thomas鈥� life took a bizarre twist.
He had applied for a position as a police officer with a Central Valley college school district and was invited to a job interview. Little did Thomas know that a pre-employment background check revealed he was a suspect in a recent area bank robbery. Police were notified that Thomas was scheduled for an interview, and they interrupted the interview, locked the doors, and questioned him. He was arrested and jailed while his home was searched.
鈥淚t was an abusive, dehumanizing experience,鈥� Thomas recalls. 鈥淓ven though I knew they had the wrong guy, the experience rocked my world. I was called vile names and treated like a convicted criminal instead of a suspect. I was 26 years old, and in a heartbeat, my world was turned upside down. I was the suspect in a crime I knew nothing about. I provided DNA samples and was eventually cleared after several months, but that experience shook my faith and taught me how easily the pursuit of justice can become an injustice.鈥�
After that incident鈥攚hich ended with Thomas receiving a formal apology from the city鈥檚 police chief鈥攈e worked as a police officer for ten years, during which time he also earned his master鈥檚 in Criminology from American Public University. He was then hired as the security manager for Levy, the food concessionaire at Oracle Arena, home of Golden State Warriors basketball team. In 2018, he became a Criminal Justice adjunct instructor at Institute of Technology-Modesto. Last year, he joined Carrington鈥檚 Stockton faculty as Criminal Justice: Corrections program director and instructor.
Thomas says that while his journey hasn鈥檛 always been easy, it helped forge the motivational leadership style he practices today.
鈥淚 believe in creating a supportive environment for our students,鈥� says Thomas. 鈥淚 know from experience that teachers can have a life-altering impact in the lives of their students. Teachers saved me. I grew up in Oakland in a neighborhood where success stories are far too rare, but I was lucky to have teachers who believed in me long before I believed in myself.鈥�
Thomas freely admits he wasn鈥檛 a great student. 聽 鈥淚 was a kid from a troubled home who always doubted himself,鈥� he remembers. 鈥滻 went to an elementary school where we didn鈥檛 learn a lot because the teachers were struggling just to maintain control of the classroom. In that environment, it鈥檚 impossible to learn, and I paid a price. Years later, I took the written part of the peace officers test 40 times before I passed.鈥� 聽 Thomas, the father of four, says his own struggles have provided a unique perspective when it comes to attracting students to his program鈥攁nd encouraging them once they鈥檝e enrolled.
鈥淚 know life isn鈥檛 easy, and there are those life-defining moments where we can either choose the right path or the wrong one,鈥� Thomas says. 鈥淚鈥檝e also coached basketball at three high schools. I鈥檝e seen students succeed, and I鈥檝e seen others stumble. I also lost my 32-year-old brother last year to drugs. I know how easy it can be for young people to lose their drive and direction, so it feels like an honor to be able to help students chase their dreams and achieve them. My motto is 鈥楴ever Quit鈥�, and every day I remind my students to never give up.鈥�
As Criminal Justice: Corrections program director, Thomas sees an opportunity to cultivate future law enforcement and correctional officers who believe that all people鈥攅ven those charged or convicted of a crime鈥攄eserve basic human respect.
鈥淚鈥檝e learned from firsthand experience that humiliating people and treating them with disrespect accomplishes nothing positive,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 still believe that law enforcement can be a noble profession, and having the chance to motivate and guide students who share in that belief is a wonderful full-circle moment in my life.鈥�
