Cultivating a New Generation of Safety Professionals

This fall, the Westerville Division of Police (WPD) and the Westerville Division of Fire (WFD) will welcome its Class #2 students to the Westerville Public Safety Cadets (WPSC) program. WPD and WFD previously offered separate introductory programs for youth interested in careers in law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services (EMS). Last year, the departments combined their efforts through the WPSC program to develop the next generation of skilled, compassionate, community-oriented safety professionals.

WPSC is a comprehensive, pre-professional program that creates a pathway for youth exploration of safety careers and provides ample opportunities for team building and camaraderie activities.

The extended program offers hands-on training in public safety, through exploration of the following topics:

• Fingerprinting

• Crime Scene Search

• Arrest and Search Techniques

• Building Searches

• Traffic Stops

• Domestic Violence

• Hostage Negotiations

• Fire Prevention

• Search and Rescue

• Fire attack

• Forcible entry

• Emergency Medicine

• Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

• Crash Investigations

• Bomb Threat Response

• Defensive Tactics

• Vehicle Extrication

• Crisis Intervention

The program also promotes strong community relationships. WPSC provides opportunities for community service activities, such as working alongside WPD and WFD personnel at community events. Additionally, field trips to law enforcement and fire-related destinations, participation in competitions between cadets in similar programs, and conferences geared toward cadet participants provide cadets with opportunities to build lasting relationships with community members, mentors and future public safety professionals.

The program has already resulted in several cadet graduates pursuing public safety careers, and a few currently serve as WPD officers. Through such programming, the City continues to invest in the safety of Westerville residents and members of surrounding communities for years to come.

Program Eligibility

All WPSC applicants must successfully complete the Westerville Youth Public Safety Academy (WYPSA), which is a one-week course designed for youth who are interested in careers in law enforcement, fire prevention/fire fighting or EMS. WYPSA participants must be ages 14-21 years old and have completed 8th grade. WYPSA provides participants with a brief introduction to topics that will be further explored in WPSC and includes interactive demonstrations regarding K-9 units, paramilitary drills and drones.

For more information on the WPSC or WYPSA programs, please visit police.westerville.org or email crimeprevention@westerville.org.