Justice Studies Major Launches Career with RIC Police

Only a month after graduating with bachelor’s degrees in justice studies and sociology last May, Gianna Carbone ’24 landed a job with the Rhode Island College police.  

Carbone says she used the college’s arsenal of resources to earn her place on the police force as data management coordinator.

“After COVID, coming into college from high school, I needed to find a way to improve my organizational skills, so I sought help from Tutorial Services,” she says. “Later on, the Career Development Center was literally life changing. They met with me every week, set up interviews with me and looked over my resume multiple times. I became a poster child for career development. I’ve seen many of my peers who were able to get job interviews even before they graduated by using the resources here at the college.”

Carbone, a 22-year-old North Providence native, studied medical imaging during her first two years at RIC before switching to justice studies and sociology, reviving a lifelong interest in policing and advocacy.

“When I was a kid, I would watch ‘Law and Order’ and ‘Criminal Minds’ on television and wonder about the reasons behind why people commit crimes,” she says.

In her post with RIC Police, Carbone isn’t solving crimes, but her chief responsibility is to compile data to comply with the Clery Act, a law passed in 1990 that aims to provide transparency around crime policy on college campuses. The act requires colleges and universities around the nation to record campus crimes in a daily log, publish an annual security report and create prevention and awareness programs.

“I collect the crime, drugs and alcohol statistics,” she says. “When I started the job last June, there was a [security] report that mandatorily had to be done by October and distributed around campus and sent to the U.S. Department of Education. That involved looking at over 10,000 police and residential life reports. Then, I spoke with different departments on campus to build advocacy programs so we could approach tackling issues like domestic violence. I’m certainly applying the research skills I learned during my college coursework in this position. I love how this job combines my love for data and advocacy.”

She also organizes the police department’s budget and is an administrative assistant for Chief James Mendonca.  

After observing Carbone’s abilities as a work-study student for the police during her senior year, Mendonca says he knew she would be a perfect fit.  

“Her warm and bubbly personality, coupled with her analytical mindset, keen attention to detail and critical thinking skills, made her stand out,” he says. “These qualities are essential in a law enforcement setting, and she has continuously leveraged them to enhance our operations. Additionally, her strong collaboration, effective communication and solution-oriented approach have strengthened our department’s efficiency and our partnerships across campus.” 

See more on RIC’s justice studies and sociology programs.