3 minute read
Double life: student-cadets
Cynthia Garcia / Roundup
The citations seen on windshields at Pierce College are evidence of the efforts made by students in the LACCD Cadet Program to provide a safe, law-abiding campus for fellow students.
The Law Enforcement Cadet position at Pierce College is a steppingstone for students pursuing careers in law enforcement.
Cadets work under the direction of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Community College District.
Students can work up to 34 and a half hours each week with a salary of $9.20 per hour.
Angie Moore, senior office assistant, says there is also a critical background check during the application process.
“If you have any kind of criminal history on your background, you automatically can’t be a cadet; you have to have a clean background and preferably a clean driving record too,” Moore said.
Some of their responsibilities include opening classrooms, escorting students at night, assigning parking violations, patrolling the campus and desk duty in the office.
“They are the eyes and ears for the security offices on campus,” Moore said.
A cadet can continue to stay in the program as long as they are full-time students in the LACCD; Moore says they do have students that have been cadets for over two years.
Cadet Al Guerrero has been a cadet for one and a half years and says he’s never regretted joining the program but admits the application process was difficult.
“It was excruciating; we had to go through multiple tests,” Guerrero said. “We had to also go through a background check and interviews, so yes, it was tough.”
Guerrero is in the process of becoming a Los Angeles City Fire Fighter and says being in the Cadet Program is preparing him for his career plans.
“This helps me out a lot because it shows me discipline and instruction within a well established jurisdiction,” he said.
Cadet Javier Gutierrez has also been in the program for a year and a half and says he’s had many rewarding experiences.
“I actually got nominated for Cadet of the Year last year and got to meet the head of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department; that was pretty cool,” Gutierrez said. “You experience the insight of law enforcement and you have some experience when you apply for a job. I want to be a police officer.”
Moore couldn’t think of any disadvantages of being in the program; she says it’s a good opportunity for those looking into law enforcement careers.
“It’s a good steppingstone for them,” Moore said. “We have few that did work for the LAPD, and we have a couple that went on to be CHP.”
Moore says that because it is a student workers’ position, the staff works around the student’s school schedule and puts their education first.
