Guest guest Posted January 25, 2001 Report Share Posted January 25, 2001 Austin American Statesman Get the Austin360 Newsletter Find a Ideal Job! Austin 360 Home Austin 360 News • Breaking headlines • Interactive features • Current Weather Weekly Sections • Thursday: XLent • Thursday: on • Friday: Movies • Friday: Technopolis • Sunday: Insight • Sunday: Travel Past issues • Today • Yesterday • Tuesday • Monday • Sunday • Saturday • Friday Editorial services • Contact our newsroom • News staff • Circulation Other services • Archives • Advertising • Other Departments williamson county Thursday, January 25 << Previous Page On Austin 360 Talk about Bush • Education plan Talk about it • Texas escapees Austin 2001 • Local events • Three-day forecast • Live Doppler • Airport guide • Road maps • Winterize your home Web Search Find local and national sites relating to today's news stories. Latest Headlines • Sooners hold off Longhorns down stretch -- 01/25/01 • GameGuide: UT baseball and softball -- 01/19/01 • Nev. College Sports' Bet Ban Lifted • 2 Die, 2 Missing in Apartment Fire • Wildfire Burns Southwest of Orlando -- more Headlines -- Austin 360 News January Events S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 February > Search | This week | Add an event Police Corps program aims at college level By J. Walter American-Statesman Staff Thursday, January 25, 2001 The Cedar Park Police Department, charged with protecting and serving one of Central Texas' fastest-growing cities, is short five officers. And of the 37 officers it does employ, only five, including the chief, have bachelor's degrees. But a federally financed program soon should increase both the number and education of Cedar Park officers. The Texas Police Corps program gives hands-on training and $7,500 a year in scholarship money to college students who commit to working for one of six law enforcement agencies, including the Cedar Park Police Department, after they graduate. A group of at least 15 -- the program's first graduating class -- should be available for hire this year. " It's going to funnel college-educated people into our department, " said Cedar Park Police Chief Henry Fluck. " That increases the professionalism of the force. " Full-time students can use the scholarships toward any major at any accredited four-year school in the United States. The recipients then must serve as patrol officers for at least four years in one of the Police Corps departments or pay back the scholarships with interest. The other participating agencies are the police departments in Alvin, Brownsville, El Paso and Hurst, as well as the County sheriff's department in the Houston area. The agencies serve " areas of great need " -- communities with high crime rates, rural isolation or, in Cedar Park's case, rapid growth. The number of Police Corps graduates Cedar Park hires will depend on this year's budget, Fluck said. However, the federal government will give the agencies a $10,000 salary stipend every year for four years for each Police Corps officer they hire. " I anticipate this being very popular and beneficial for the state of Texas, " said Cedar Park officer Wukasch, the city's liaison to the program, " especially for our department as one of the original participants. " The 3-year-old Texas Police Corps is a branch of a national program operating in 29 other states. It is run by the Austin-based Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and is expected to expand to more agencies in the future. Texas A & M University became a partner this summer as planning got under way to train the first class of officers. However, in an unexpected twist, the presidential election stalemate forced the Police Corps to move screenings of new candidates from January to February and March. " Until things get organized with our new presidential structure, " said Texas A & M's Walter Stenning, " things are a little slow coming out of Washington. " The program eventually will be open to students coming out of high school, but for now, organizers are targeting college juniors and seniors. Once an applicant pool is established, candidates will spend four days at a screening at Texas A & M in College Station. They will undergo medical, physical and drug tests, academic evaluations and an interview with representatives from the program. Fifteen students already are enrolled in the program, and Stenning said he expects 15 participants and 10 alternates to be selected from 60 to 100 applicants at the screening. The new participants will be able to apply for up to $30,000 in retroactive scholarship money from the Police Corps. Next, the 30 students will attend a residential training academy at Texas A & M from May 19 to July 20. Graduating seniors will attend a second nine-week academy from July 30 to Sept. 28. The training will focus on simulated law enforcement duties and will include shooting practice, physical training, analysis of staged crime scenes, and ethics and decision-making exercises. Wukasch, one of Cedar Park's five college-educated officers, will help run the academies. " These people are going to be working beside me someday, " he said. " If I have an opportunity to meet and help train them and ensure they're qualified, it's better for the whole department. " Wukasch said going to college gave him a broader base of knowledge and a better " understanding of different styles of living and the diversity that's out there. " Those are attributes the Cedar Park Police Department hopes the Police Corps will instill in future officers. You may contact J. Walter at 246-1150 or ewalter@.... To apply For information on applying to the Texas Police Corps program, call (979) 862-4101 or write to 4226 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843. presented by The Austin American-Statesman and Austin360.com All rights reserved. | © Copyright 2001 | © Privacy Policy By using Austin360 you accept the terms of our visitor agreement. Registered site users, use this link to edit your personal profile. Privacy Policy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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