FBI’s loss is university’s gain:
Exceptional criminal justice professional now department chair

-- Lisa Quinn

Michael Breci, Ph. D., chair of the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Department has had an interesting and varied career, even before coming to Metropolitan State University. In addition to teaching at St. Cloud State University, he has been both a police officer and a probation agent.

Breci was born in Omaha, Neb., and if asked when, he says, “A long time ago!” His dad was an agent with the FBI, which meant a lot of transfers while growing up, and Breci ended up graduating from high school in Sioux Falls, S.D. He then entered the Navy and served during the Vietnam War. After that, he returned to Sioux Falls to attend college, earning a double major in Sociology and Social Work from Sioux Falls College. He then decided he wanted to be an FBI agent. He was offered a job both by the Minneapolis FBI office as a clerk (one method of becoming an agent) and as a Sioux Falls Police Department as a police officer, another method. Breci decided on the police officer option for family reasons.

It was then, as it is now, very difficult to get on with the FBI. So, Breci was placed on a waiting list. After working as a police officer in Sioux Falls, he decided to transfer to Brookings, S. D., and work as a probation agent while continuing his schooling. There he earned his masters as well as an award for Outstanding Young Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. He was the first correctional employee to do so. Breci commented about that time, “It was challenging and rewarding. Because I was a former police officer, I had a great working relationship with the police.”

When he turned 35, the road to becoming an FBI agent closed for Breci due to age eligibility rules. Incidentally, a few months later the FBI changed that age limit to 38. But their loss was our gain. Breci went on to pursue his Ph.D. in Ames, Iowa. He was then hired by St. Cloud State University and taught there for seven years.

The Minnesota POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) board contacted Breci and asked him to do a study on the feasibility of requiring a four-year degree for police officers in Minnesota. At the study’s conclusion, it was decided to let the requirements remain at a two-year degree, but one recommendation was to develop a four-year degree as an option. Metropolitan State University did this and Breci was hired on as a faculty member in 1993. He is now the chair of the department.

During his career, Breci has published a myriad of academic articles on subjects ranging from police response, to domestic violence, to public perceptions of female officers. When asked to comment on his beliefs regarding police officers, community, and education, Breci states, “Community policing and police education are two topics that I have been very interested in over the years. I believe that the future for the police is to work more effectively with the community. The principles of community policing provide a base for moving the police in a new direction. I think that education is key to making officers more effective.”

Personally, Breci is married with two grown daughters, one of whom is a police officer. Breci loves travel and says he “drives his wife crazy with the camera” during their trips. He has a brother who is currently serving in Iraq, and another who is also a police officer, currently instructing at the Kansas State Police Academy. He looks forward to team-teaching an online class with his brother in 2006, and says he is trying to get his daughter to complete a masters degree so that he can team-teach a course with her, too!

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