By Diamond Sanders
“I never even thought about being an instructor,” said Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers’ (FLETC) Senior Instructor Mark Paradis. “I was always dedicated to the field.”
For nearly four years, Mark Paradis has been a FLETC Instructor for the Investigative Application of Behavioral Science Branch within the Behavioral Science Division.
“When I was sent to FLETC to be an instructor, it wasn’t necessarily my first choice because I was so dedicated to the field,” expressed Mark. “Since my first class here, I fell in love with teaching the students. I don’t know, maybe they were just really good students, but it was a nice feeling to enjoy coming to work, and I have enjoyed it ever since.”
Before his time at FLETC, Mark served for 23 years in the U.S. Air Force on various tours to Japan, Las Vegas, Florida, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C. For nine of those years, he served as an Aerospace Propulsion Specialist, testing, maintaining, and repairing fighter jet engines until he became a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI).
“I loved helping people and making a difference. I loved doing a job where I had a big impact. I was fortunate to be recruited as an agent,” said Mark.
“I stayed very busy in my time in the field. There’s no better job satisfaction than using my skills to ensure victims got the closure they deserved, and the perpetrators held accountable for their crimes. A very close second for job satisfaction is passing on my skills and knowledge to the next generation of criminal investigators so they can have those successes and a much greater impact than I ever could alone.”
His last assignment as a detailed agent instructor for the Investigative Operations Division (IOD) teaching basic investigative techniques landed him a permanent position at FLETC. Shortly following Mark’s retirement from the Air Force, he was hired by FLETC at the beginning of the pandemic. Since then, Mark has been primarily teaching the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP), where he prepares his students with all the basic investigative interview training requirements necessary and expected of criminal investigators.
“It is my favorite class to teach because my experience directly translates to that course,” says Mark. “I feel I have much to offer the students. It’s nice because oftentimes you have students that are very hungry for the information, we are teaching them, and that’s motivating because I want to give them the training they actually want.”
Mark credits his instructing principles to the importance of his family values. When he is not in the classroom or at work, Mark is committed to spending time with his family. Whether it is going on vacation, playing golf, or video games, Mark is passionate about his time being well spent with his wife Jessica, son Caleb, and daughter, Sydney.
Being family-oriented is a characteristic that influenced Mark’s values as an instructor. “You always want to do your best, especially when you have kids looking up to you,” says Mark, as he expresses the outlook that he carries in and out of the classroom.