Training time
Joint Treasure Valley Community College, OPD program helps
students learn about law
enforcement
By JESSICA KELLER
ARGUS OBSERVER
JessciaK@argusobserver.com
Sunday, October 4, 2009 10:23 AM PDT
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| JESSICA KELLER | ARGUS OBSERVER
Ontario Police Department K9 officer Sam Almaraz works with his canine partner, Stevie, in a brief demonstration for work training program cadet MJ Patzer, 18, outside OPD Friday. |
ONTARIO-A work training collaboration between the Treasure Valley Community College Biz Center and the Ontario Police Department is giving TVCC criminal justice program student MJ Patzer a perfect opportunity to apply what she’s learning in class in the real world.
Only three weeks into the work training cadet program, Patzer, 18, Ontario, a second year TVCC student, is busy, balancing school, work and the 20 hours a week she’s dedicated to the Ontario Police Department this quarter — all to pursue her dream to become a police officer.
Law enforcement runs in the Patzer family. Patzer, who finished her first year at TVCC while obtaining her high school diploma through home schooling this year, said police work appeals to her.
“I kind of like interacting with people and being able to help in a bigger way than most people,” she said.
Before TVCC, Patzer also completed the OPD Explorer program, which gave her the first taste of police work and helped make up her mind about a career.
“I got a little bit of a taste with some of the curriculum we went through, and then I did traffic control, and that kind of did it,” Patzer said, adding she helped direct traffic and get people situated at last year’s Winter Wonderland Parade. “I got a good view of the good side of it.”
OPD Capt. Mark Alexander, her OPD supervisor, said Patzer will probably get another opportunity to do the same this year, but her duties at OPD are a lot broader.
He said when OPD ran a similar cadet program when Jeff Milton worked for OPD, the cadets were only there for one quarter, which wasn’t long enough of a timeframe for the trainees to learn what they needed to and apply those lessons before they completed the program.
Alexander said, after Milton retired, the program dropped off, but Andrea Testi from the TVCC Biz Center contacted him last year and asked if OPD would consider restarting it. Under this model, cadets complete a whole year of training, which Alexander said is perfect.
“So, when you get them trained up to do things, they continue to help you, and you’re not losing them just as quickly,” he said. Alexander said, in addition, many career law enforcement officers started as cadets, and it is valuable experience.
“I started as a cadet, and it was one of the most enjoyable times of my life, and I wanted to bring that back,” he said.
In her three weeks at OPD, Patzer has received an orientation, learned the basics of the records management system in dispatch, the basics of police reports and conducted ride-alongs with officers, as well as delivered papers around to various places in town for the police officers and distributed flyers for OPD. By the end of the quarter, she will know how to complete a police report, sufficiently understand the records management system, how the police department interacts with the community and more. As part of the program, Patzer has to complete weekly reports, quarterly reports and evaluations.
“And, once she’s all done, she gets college credit and experience to further her career in law enforcement and something to put on her resume,” Alexander said.
Patzer said she is eager to learn all she can and especially looks forward to finger printing, having just learned about it in one of her law enforcement classes at TVCC.
When the police department reopens the hiring process for a new police officer, which it was unable to fill the first time, Patzer will also be able to see how police officer selection works for OPD, including the physical and written tests.
Patzer said she’s not too concerned about the physical requirements of being a police officer. She runs a few miles a week and exercises at the gym frequently. And Alexander said he doesn’t think Patzer will have any trouble in her pursuit of a law enforcement career, either.
“She’ll achieve whatever she sets her mind to,” Alexander said. “And I’m looking forward to seeing her succeed and following her career path, and I’m glad we got to be a part of helping her out.”
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