Boggess worked for twenty-two years in law enforcement as a sworn police officer, serving with the Fairmont Police Department in virtually every capacity. For eighteen of those years, Boggess also served as an adjunct instructor of Criminal Justice at Fairmont State University. After his retirement from police work, in 1997, Boggess began teaching in a full-time position at FSU, transferring to Pierpont Community and Technical College when it separated from FSU.