LaVarr McBride, instructor in administration of justice at Penn State Beaver, was the featured guest speaker at last week’s luncheon of the Rotary Club of Beaver. McBride also is the program coordinator and internship supervisor for the administration of justice program which is delivered jointly with Penn State New Kensington and Penn State Shenango.
In his presentation, "How to Avoid the Harms of Social Media," McBride discussed potential dangers of modern technology, including sharing personal information and photos online. He also emphasized the importance of being aware of cyber bullies and threats as well as avoiding the misuse of texting, cell phones and other social media.
McBride has more than 30 years of experience in criminal justice and has been a state and federal law enforcement officer on several task forces involving sexual predators, violent crime, drugs and the Internet.
In addition, he has served as a training specialist with the Office of Defender Service, Washington, D.C., pre-sentence investigator for federal courts, probation officer, parole officer, correctional officer and consultant as a Defense Initiated Victim Outreach Specialist for federal and state cases. He consults as an expert in violent crime and death penalty cases.
McBride holds a master’s degree in sociology from Utah State University and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Weber State University. He can be contacted at lwm13@psu.edu or 724-773-3866.