Faculty Directory
Tom Shaheen
Professor | Criminal Justics and Sercurity Services
- 412.237.4439
- tshaheen@ccac.edu
- Allegheny Campus, West Hall WSB 010
- Faculty office hours are available through self-service.
| Degree | Emphasis | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| M.A. | California University of PA | |
| B.A. | Criminology | Indiana University of PA |
Biography
Tom Shaheen is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Community College of Allegheny County, Allegheny Campus and has been at the college for over 19 years. Shaheen is currently the Department Head of Social Sciences and Education. He has been nominated 2 times for the NISOD Excellence in teaching Award and has received the Vanguard Diversity Award for his work in a mock trial surrounding the book A Lesson Before Dying which is about an African American man wrongly and unjustly accused of a crime he did not commit.
Professor Shaheen has over 30 years of experience in the Criminal Justice field. He was an 18-year veteran of the Dormont Police Department where he served with distinction earning the Outstanding Service award from the Fraternal Order of Police and Pennsylvania state citations from both the Senate and House of Representatives for his criminal investigation work in a homicide case. Shaheen was given letters of accommodation for his work in identifying and arresting offenders in white collar crime, his involvement with The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Drug Task Force and his work in apprehending an armed robbery suspect. Professor Shaheen served as a crime scene investigator and community service officer for the department. He also has worked as a Defense Criminal Investigator for the Allegheny County Public Defender's Office and as a School Police Officer for the Chartiers Houston School District. He has completed numerous certifications and training schools including the elite SIRCHIE Crime Scene Technology School in North Carolina, NASRO School Police Officer certification, ALICE Active Shooter certification and several interview and interrogation schools.
Shaheen served as a United States Marine for 6 years. He received Meritorious Mast for his work as a Military Police Officer and is a veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Watching one of my students, who had a very tough life and faced with much adversity, walk across the stage and receive her Criminal Justice degree. A few years later she obtained a job with federal law enforcement that she thought would never be possible.
I have a passion for the Criminal Justice field and teaching. I have an opportunity to pass on what I have learned and prepare students for employment opportunities in the field. The priceless excitement when a former student tells me he/she has just obtained their "Dream Job."
I am the biggest Pittsburgh Pirates fan and collect sports memorabilia.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." —Edmund Burke