Evan Avnet.

Evan Avnet of Salisbury graduated from Wor-Wic’s Eastern Shore Criminal Justice Academy in 2004, while working for the Salisbury Police Department. After a few years, he moved on to the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office and returned to Wor-Wic to earn his associate of applied science degree in law enforcement, with honors, in 2010.

Avnet said he returned to Wor-Wic to earn his degree because the college was accessible and because the instructors all had prior law enforcement experience — “the raw field experience,” he said, “not just what is learned in a classroom.”

A dean’s list student, he said his degree from Wor-Wic earned him a pay raise from his employer and “the professors gave me a true background in law enforcement studies — lots of information on policing principles that carry over into my business today.”

After working for the sheriff’s office for several years, he opened his own business, Tactical American Security Consulting, which he said offers “360 degrees of security – cameras, security systems, security personnel, criminal and civil investigations, firearms training and sales, and tactical products.”

Avnet said he started his business because he saw a serious lack of professional comprehensive security services on the Eastern Shore, “a lack of training for citizens and a lack of security companies that have a good working relationship with law enforcement. My goal is to provide our clients with safety and security in a growing threat environment.”

When asked about his time at Wor-Wic, he said the most important thing he learned was in the police academy. “The defensive tactics class saved my life once,” he said. “I was off duty and came upon a man robbing a convenience store. He tried to take my weapon. If it wasn’t for what I learned in that class, I would have died.” Avnet added that what he learned at Wor-Wic, in the academy and through his associate degree, gave him the tools that he needed for his law enforcement career and for managing his security investigation business.

“I’m thankful for Wor-Wic and my years in law enforcement for giving me the knowledge and skills I needed to be successful in my business and I’m also thankful for the men and women who put their lives on the line for us every day, protecting us, with very little gratitude.”

Since opening his business, he has earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in homeland security and anti-terrorism. Avnet says he is looking forward to several projects coming up in September for select clients.