Karie Gregory Nordland

Crime/Intelligence Analyst 
Toledo Police Department
Toledo, OH

Majors, Law & Society and Psychology
Minor, Forensic Science
May, 2010

Masters of Science 
Criminal Justice, Michigan State University
May, 2012

Why did you choose the College of Liberal Arts?

I knew I wanted to study criminal justice (law & society) and psychology, so naturally Liberal Arts was my choice of colleges.  However, when I came to visit Purdue, I was given the opportunity to meet with staff from the College honors program, and learning about all of the opportunities that were available to students was what truly sold me on Liberal Arts.  Our group had the pleasure of meeting with honors Professor James Nairne, who I ended up working with for all four years of my undergraduate studies and who became a close mentor of mine. (Psychology was part of CLA during Karie's time at Purdue.  Now it is part of the College of Health and Human Sciences)

Describe some of your experiences in Liberal Arts led have led to your success.

I was a Dammon Dean’s Scholar which gave me the opportunity to take a few classes with fellow scholars, and more specifically work one-on-one with a professor of our choosing on a research project.  I sought out Dr. Nairne, as I remembered him from summer orientation, and we worked together on a project involving memory retention.  I was able to work with Dr. Nairne and continued to work with him all during my undergraduate degree.  I was even a co-author on one of his research articles (Nairne, J.S., Panderirada, J.N.S., Gregory, K.J., & Van Arsdall, J.E. (2009). Adaptive memory: Fitness-relevance and the hunter-gatherer mind. Psychological Science, 20, 74-746). This was an invaluable experience.

I also was a member of the Liberal Arts Ambassador program, which helped with recruitment of incoming students to the College.  We were able to share our experiences about life as a Boilermaker.  This organization, at the time, was run by Jodi Silotto, who also became a close friend/mentor of mine.  I would talk with Jodi if I ever needed advice, school-wise, career-wise, and even sometimes just to talk.  Jodi helped set me up for success during my time in the Ambassador’s program, convincing me to take an unpaid internship in New York and to apply to graduate school.

It is because of the relationships I was afforded with members of Liberal Arts that I can attribute my success after Purdue.  I would not have gotten where I am today without them.

When you think about life after Purdue, what makes it meaningful to you?

If you would have told me on my first day at Purdue that I would be where I am today, having done everything I was able to accomplish, I would probably tell you that you were crazy.  Being a member of the College really broaden my horizon, and challenged me to do things I normally would never have done.  For example, during my junior year, I was able to take an honor’s course in which we studied the history of vampire folklore (all before “Twilight” was the latest craze!), and the course traveled to Transylvania, Romania, and re-traced the real Dracula’s path throughout the country. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget.

I also look back and see just how much I have invested in Purdue.  After graduate school in Michigan, I was given the opportunity to move back to Indiana, which made me excited, as I was now closer to Purdue.  My closest friends were formed at Purdue (including meeting my husband during Boiler Gold Rush), and we make it a yearly tradition to come back and spend time together at our favorite places.  I know a lot of university’s don’t instill this type of pride in their students, but if you ever meet anyone that went to Purdue, I bet they’ve been back at least a few times after graduation—it has a hold on you. 

Is there anything you would do differently?

Although I would have had a hard time convincing my “student-self” to do so, I wish I would have taken another language course.  I took only what was required for my major, but looking back, and learning more about my career field, having at least a rudimentary understanding of another language would have been useful.

The best advice that I can give to in-coming/current students to prevent any type of regret or doing something differently is to always keep an open mind, and try everything once.  You may not think taking an extra language course is beneficial at the time, but someday you will see the benefit.

What’s your favorite Purdue memory?

There are so many memories, I don’t know if I can pinpoint it to just one exact moment.  I honestly would say my entire career was a Purdue favorite memory—every moment I got to spend with my friends, classmates, co-workers—it truly was some of the best moments of my life!

What do you do outside of work to make an impact on society?

While I regularly volunteer outside of work, my biggest impact on society is through my job.  As an analyst with the Toledo Police Department, my main goal is to take our crime data (number of burglaries, robberies, shootings, etc), analyze them, and based on the results of analysis, make recommendations to patrol officers on what to look for, and how to make better use of their time on patrol.  By doing this, I am helping make an impact on society by negatively impacting crime , causing crime to decrease.  Since the introduction of analysts to the department, total target crimes have decreased by 36%.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I would say that my biggest accomplishment was the decision to move away from my hometown (population: 5000) and attend Purdue.  This may not seem like a big deal, but this one decision has shaped who I am today, and has given me the courage to not be afraid of change or challenges.  Since going to Purdue, I have lived and worked in Madison, WI, Albany, NY, Lansing, MI, Las Vegas, NV, Fort Wayne, IN and now Toledo, OH.  I would never have had the courage to do all of that if I hadn’t moved to Purdue.  That one decision has brought numerous accomplishment throughout my career, and ultimately landed me my dream position of crime/intelligence analyst.  

Awards/Recognitions Since Purdue:

• Co-Author: McGarrell, E.F., Kroovand-Hipple, N., Bynum, T.S., Perez, H., & Gregory, K. (2011). Project Safe Neighborhoods Case Study: Promising Violence Reduction Initiatives., U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Program.s

• Student Research Fellowship Award: Michigan State University, School of Criminal JusticeA-CAPP (Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection) Student Fellowship (2011-2012)

• Paper Presented: Gregory, Karie J., & Holt, Thomas J. “Examining counterfeiting through spam advertisements”.  Presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, New York City, New York. (2012).

• Contributing Researcher: Grommon, E., Rydberg, J., & Bynum, T. (2012). Understanding the Challenges Facing Offenders Upon Their Return to the Community: Final Report. MJS Center.

• Co-Author:.McGarrell, E.F., Kroovand-Hipple, N., Bynum, T.S., Perez, H., Gregory, K., Kane, C.M., & Ransford, C. (2013).  Promising Strategies for Violence Reduction: Lessons from Two Decades of Innovation. Project Safe Neighborhoods Case Study Report #13. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance.
  Contributing Researcher: Rydberg, J., Grommon, E., & Bynum, T.S. (2013). Risk of Recidivism Facing Offenders upon their Return to the Community. MJS Center.

• Contributing Researcher: Rydberg, J., Grommon, E., & Bynum, T.S. (2013). Risk of Recidivism Facing Offenders upon their Return to the Community. MJS Center.