Wash. Co. Sheriff’s Office, WSCC create program to prepare students for law enforcement careers

Monday marked a brand new era for law enforcement career training in Washington County, as the Washington County Sheriff's Office and Washington State Community College began a partnership for a new Cadet Program that will give all local law enforcement agencies additional chances to hire well-trained local talent.

The WCSO Program received a subgrant award of $7,060.10 from an agreement between Ohio Criminal Justice Services and Washington County, through the efforts of Washington County Grants Program Manager Rob Grant and Special Projects Manager Philip Schaffer. Commissioners approved the agreement June 22. The initial funding period is through the end of 2024.

WCSO Chief Deputy Mark Warden has been working with Dr. Jona Rinard, Dean of Transfer and Public Services at WSCC. The cadet program is going to work with the college's students earning two-year associate degrees in criminal justice. Monday, Warden was to interview his first WSCC second-year criminal justice program student for possible inclusion in the program.

Even the interview process is going to help students prepare as they move through their law enforcement careers, Warden said. Initially, three students will be selected for a six-month cohort, or program session. They'll undergo background checks as well as in-person interviews. Ultimately, the plan is to increase the capacity of the program to 12 cadets, six for each six-month session. And, the students who interview but are not selected will receive additional contact to explain what they can do to better prepare themselves in the future.

Once selected, the cadets will be assigned to the existing WCSO Reserve Deputy and Auxiliary Program and managed by a part-time paid coordinator. Each also will be assigned to a Division Commander to monitor their development.

Cadets will serve two months in each of three main divisions of the Washington County Sheriff's Office: Criminal, Civil and Jail.

In the Criminal Division, cadets will learn about the critical function of Dispatch, which many law enforcement officers have not had the opportunity to observe, according to Warden. Cadets will be able to see what questions need to be asked by a dispatcher; how a dispatcher interacts with those in crisis; and how a dispatcher assigns first responders to an emergency scene.

Cadets also will be assigned to ride along with a deputy sheriff and complete a daily report detailing activities while on patrol. They will experience evidence room activities and practices, uniform inspections, and the policies, procedures and activities of the Reserve and Auxiliary Deputies Program.

In the Civil Division, cadets will experience the Security and Transport Section, which is responsible for the security at the courthouse. They'll experience transporting inmates to court appearances and other outside facilities, and will attend at least one court hearing in the Washington County Court of Common Pleas. There, they will have the opportunity to observe and learn how officers testify.

While assigned to the Jail Division, cadets will experience practically all jail operations through the control center, the central point of observation and control. They will observe how the doors are opened and closed to allow corrections officers to move through the jail safely and securely and they'll watch the monitors observing inmate behavior and activities, giving them a better understanding of jail operations on a daily basis.

"The cadets are going to see that all three divisions work together like gears," Warden said.

The cadets will complete 109 contact hours with the combination of the work in the three divisions over the course of their six-month program.

Warden is looking forward to the comprehensive overview of law enforcement operations students will get while they're actively working on the associate degree program.

"Their work in the sheriff's office is going to expose them to so many parts of law enforcement," he said. "Once a student understands that a law enforcement career is not just about being a police officer, there are many specialties they can choose as a career. And this cadet program is a heck of a resume builder."

Warden is happy to be working with WSCC, since the sheriff's office currently has a longstanding working relationship with the school, and that will be a key part of the program's success.

He sees a big advantage in being able to refer graduates of the cadet program to other local law enforcement agencies. Together, area law enforcement agencies can use this pool as a hiring resource. Warden expects the agencies are all going to be able to retain more employees as the program progresses.

"I'm very excited to see this program begin," he said.