The Los Angeles Police Academy Magnet School Program offers a rigorous, police officer-led high school curriculum developed for young men and women expressing an interest in a career in law enforcement. The program provides a better understanding of law enforcement for students no matter what career path they eventually follow, and also provides a high quality recruiting resource for the Los Angeles Police Department. For further information, browse through the sections below, or contact:
Roberta Weintraub
Executive Director
Los Angeles Police Academy Magnet School
(310) 246-0404
E-mail: jrpolice@aol.com
Overview of the Magnet School Program
The Police Academy Magnet School Program curriculum goes beyond the basic high school course requirements, providing students with specialized coursework, training, mentoring, work and volunteer opportunities. The program includes instruction in:
- Communication skills, with emphasis on listening, reading, speaking, writing and thinking as it relates to law enforcement
- Basic concepts of criminal law, principles of law enforcement, constitutional law, the criminal justice system and other law related topics
- Health training, including mental and physical health
- The role of science and technology in solving crimes
- Computer science, particularly programs which relate to law enforcement
- Community service, to develop good citizenship and ongoing community involvement
The Police Academy Magnet School Program has been implemented at Monroe, Dorsey, Wilson, San Pedro and Reseda High Schools. Each school has a full-time Police Officer II as the program coordinator. Currently, 500 students are participating in the program Citywide.
Curriculum
The curriculum specific to the Police Academy Magnet will enrich the basic course requirements and present the students with thematic course work introducing students to the world of law enforcement through education, training, work, volunteering and mentoring.
Overview
The foundation of the Police Academy Magnet curriculum is the course requirements of the LAUSD, and the completion of the "A to F" requirements of the University of California. Because of the variety of financial, emotional and family problems faced by many students, special emphasis will be placed on working one-on-one with individual students, assessing their educational needs, building their self-esteem and helping them reach their full potential.
Of special interest is the physical training aspect of the program. Many applicants to the LAPD Academy are not prepared for the physical requirements. In many cases, women in particular have not developed the upper-body strength they need to compete in the Academy. The LAPD has set up special pre-entrance classes to help prepare their applicants for the rigors of the Academy. The cost of this preparation is high. Some worthy applicants back off because of their lack of previous physical conditioning. The L.A.U.S.D. program has established an early conditioning program with specialized weight room and obstacle course training. In the long run, our students will be able to enter the Academy physically able to compete and LAPD will gain truly qualified applicants.
Students wear Police Academy uniforms proudly. The uniforms, including polo shirts, jackets, sweats, running gear, and dress blues, bind the students together and give them the feeling that they are valued members of a peer group. Sloppy dress, cavalier attitudes, lack-of-respect all flourish on school campuses. Uniforms bring to the students, and the campus, order and pride. This is an opportunity for students from disparate cultures and socio-economic patterns to bond and form a significant disciplined prideful group.
Weekly inspections and drills conducted by LAPD Officers and student leaders, are important components in a program that rewards excellence in academic pursuits, physical fitness, conduct, and community service. Proudly wearing the uniform of the Police Academy Magnet is an important component of the overall program.
Magnet guidelines require students to be enrolled in a minimum of three magnet classes. Other classes may be taken, outside the magnet, in the host comprehensive high school. As the Police Academy Magnet Schools increase in size (by adding a grade level each year), more classes will be added within the magnet.
An added asset to the program is the LAPD Police Officer-2, assigned, full-time, at each magnet site. That officer brings to the classroom, his or her experiences as a law enforcement officer, and is able to relate to students, and relating the experiences, dilemmas, choices and responsibilities of law enforcement.
Course of Study - Grade 9
English
The major emphasis of the course is to promote communication skills through a balanced language arts program with appropriate practice in listening, reading, speaking, writing and thinking. Literature-based units provide a framework in which students use English skills to relate to the worlds of past, present, and future, including ideas, attitudes, ideals and values. Suggested units include:
Introduction To Law Enforcement: Law And Youth
Students will study the basic concepts of law as they relate to citizen’s rights and responsibilities. They will understand the role of the Bill of Rights, consumer law, criminal law, civil law, and the juvenile justice system. Students will also understand the major goals of criminal justice system including: (Law Enforcement)-Prevent crime, protect life and property, maintain order, arrest violators; (Judicial) Render fair judgment, mete out just punishment, provide due process; (Corrections) rehabilitate if possible, keep offenders off the streets, provide humane treatment. The course includes:
- Basic Concepts of Law
- Principles of Law Enforcement
- The Constitution
- Law Enforcement as a Profession
- The Court System
- Agencies involved in Law Enforcement
- The Chain of Custody
Health
The emphasis is to develop concepts, attitudes and skills that lead to effective decisions on individual, family and public health. Instruction in personal and public safety and accident prevention, including emergency first aid, resuscitation techniques, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemorrhage control, treatment for poisoning, sexually transmitted disease, effects of alcohol, narcotics, drugs and tobacco on the body. LAPD guidelines for use of protective equipment. Units include:
Forensic Science
A semester course specifically set up for students to understand the role of science in the solving of crime. Students learn the historical background, the role of the forensic laboratory, scientific evidence gathering and the scope of the field. Students observe crime scenes, gather evidence, process evidence, establish hypothesis and draw conclusions. This is a hands-on opportunity to use science to solve crimes. Students will experience how science and technology work together, how deductive reasoning can lead to the truth and how easily crime scenes and samples can be contaminated. Students will practice specific techniques of scientific research. They will hone their powers of observation, learn to look carefully at things that are not always what they seem to be. Students will use observation, creative thinking, investigative techniques, and analysis to understand the scope and breadth of forensics. Text book suggested: Beyond the Crime Lab - Jon Zonderman. Course can be enhanced by Forensic Science videos (Discovery Channel series) as well as directed Internet sites and field trips to LAPD and/or sheriff’s labs.
Introduction to the Computer
Students in the Police Academy Magnet will be trained in the use of the computer. The majority of the students have had little or no experience with computers before entering the magnet and most do not have access to a home computer. In order to give students the computer experiences they need to succeed, a basic beginning course will be presented in grade Nine. The computer is equipped with software that mimics that used by LAPD. Installed is Windows 95, and Office 97, Excel, Lotus and Multimedia Programs. IBM will further install the exact same software used at the Recruit Training Center to allow students to use the computer for report writing, brief writing and tasks of filing, retrieval and exploration (all computers are on-line and will allow students to do research on the Internet). After the initial introductory course, the goal is to use the computer as part of existing classes to, for example, fill out police data forms, search for information, use the computer for criminal profiling and become aware of computer and Internet crime. The computers will be essential in English classes (report writing, briefs, forms), in history classes (information searches), introduction to law enforcement (crimes on the net, profiling). From the how-to stage of introduction to computers, students will move through experiences that will prepare them to work with LAPD computer equipment and be able to fill LAPD needs for computer use.
Physical Training
Ninth grade Physical Education covers the physical and mechanical principles of movement, their interrelationship, and their effects on the performer. It provides for acquisition of skills necessary to participate on an advanced level in sports. Students in the Police Academy Magnet will demonstrate gross motor coordination, coordinate eye and hand movements, develop cardio-respiratory endurance and build muscular strength, power and endurance. Critical is the development of upper body strength to qualify for the Police Academy. An obstacle course mimics the course of the LAPD academy and will give the students the strength and power needed to succeed at the Los Angeles Police Academy. A drag dummy is also employed to build strength. Team skills are taught to give students a sense of cooperation as they work together for a common goal. Weight rooms are scheduled to be enhanced at all four schools. Also, critical to physical training is the running program. Female students will especially benefit from the thrust of the program since, up to now, many women cannot qualify physically for the LAPD.
Math/Spanish - will be taken in the comprehensive high school since students will be at a variety of levels in these areas.
Community Service
Students are expected to devote 20 hours per year working as a volunteer for a community organization. Hours are approved by the on-site coordinator. Students are encouraged to do community and school service beyond the expected minimum. Badges are awarded for community service.
Course of Study - Grade 10
Humanitas English and World History
A Humanitas program with a two-hour block devoted to the combined study of world literature and world history. The Humanitas approach assures that courses are not taught in isolation, that eras studied and cause and effect intertwine subject matter. Students get a sense of the whole not just its parts. The course gives students both an historical outlook on and a contemporary view of the world. Students become more knowledgeable about significant historical events, ideas and forces that are shaping the world. The focus is Western civilization from ancient times to the present. Through a sequence of developmental activities in reading, discussing, listening, writing and critical thinking, students develop an understanding of the chronological sequence of events, compare and contrast Western and non-Western philosophies, language, literature, religions, and arts. An in-depth look at the development of the policing system, laws and the courts (appropriate material from the Constitutional Rights Foundation will guide students through the need for and the development of law and order in society) and discussion, debate, position papers to formulate points of view. Writing tasks will include briefs, summaries, LAPD procedures.
Content:
- Beginning of civilization
- Ancient Civilization of East and West
- Middle Ages and Renaissance
- Origins of Nation-States and Age of Expansion
- Industrial Revolution
- Imperialism and Colonialism
- Independence and Interdependence
- Future issues and challenges
The Humanitas approach is not necessarily sequential since the thrust of the program is to enable students to conjecture, extrapolate, debate, discuss, evaluate, analyze and assess. Reading, writing, listening are important components in the course of theme exploration. Critical skills in researching, critical thinking and understanding cause and effect are brought into play with a variety of literature (both fiction and nonfiction), plus historical documents and reference works. This is a dynamic course, that changes direction through the skilled leadership of the teachers who find contemporary material (newspapers, periodicals, texts) to tweak the interest of the students. This is a course driven by the instructors who formulate an overall theme (that may certainly change from year to year) and give the students access to independent thinking that is knowledge-based. Because the development of policing, the law and the court systems impact and are impacted by the needs of society at a given time, the LAPD officers will be available to bring their perspectives to the classroom.
Educational Career Planning (Ѕ Semester)
The major emphasis of this course is to assist the student to grow in the ability to make decisions, to appreciate and understand his or her strengths and skills, to use knowledge and awareness of educational and vocational opportunities to make meaningful educational and career plans. The course includes the following topics: self-awareness, educational alternatives, learning to achieve classroom success, planning for a career, and interpersonal and personal development.
The course provides students with the opportunity to develop in greater depth their ability to understand themselves and the society in which they live. An in-depth look at educational and career plans, improvement in self-concept, understanding stress, fostering good mental health, confronting crises in change, parenting, changes in adolescent behavior, and learning how to achieve success. Instructional units include:
Physical Training (Semester)
This class will continue the physical training program started in Grade Nine. As well as a goal for physical agility, power and strength is the development of leadership, structure and discipline. Weekly inspections, uniforms, squad assignments lead to camaraderie and respect.
Driver’s Education (Ѕ Semester)
The Driver’s Ed portion will deal with rules of the road (as prescribed by LAUSD Guidelines) plus simulated exposure to hazards faced by LAPD in pursuit and the quick decisions made by LAPD in on-the-street decisions. Computer simulations will give students a chance to check their reactions, their accuracy of decision. Computer experience will allow students to fill out property reports, do narrative accounts of events, summarize details, file reports, interview and document suspects, obtain prior reports, process evidence, fill out preliminary investigation forms, vehicle investigation forms, booking procedures, and create a detailed log. A specialized driver training simulation program is being planned at all schools.
Biology (Year)
Major emphasis on lab experimentation, scientific method, critical thinking skills, cellular activity, development of organisms and their adaptation. Experiences in basic biological principles: structural unit of life, chemical functioning, classification using a forensic approach to scientific investigation. Units include:
- Principles of Basic Ecology
- Classification of plants and animals
- Basic Anatomy and physiology
- Cell structure and function
- Genetics and reproduction
- Paleobiology and evolution
- Human ecology
Math/Spanish
Math and Spanish will be taken in the comprehensive high school, since students will be at a variety of levels in these areas.
Community Service
Students are expected to devote 20 hours per year working as a volunteer for a community organization. Hours are approved by the on-site coordinator. Students are encouraged to do community and school service beyond the expected minimum. Badges are awarded for community service.
Course of Study - Grade 11
Humanitas/American Literature and Contemporary Composition/United States History
Humanitas approach unifies subject matter and builds on relationships of ideas and events. Courses are not taught in isolation, instead they are intertwined in a successful attempt to understand an encompassing theory or theme. The result is an understanding of the cause and effect of these ideas and events on the pattern of life.
Because Humanitas requires teachers to work closely with each other to develop a theme-appropriate base, material and text from both disciplines are carefully selected to illuminate this interdependence. Also, because of the dynamics of existence, the driving questions do not remain static. Teachers take an invigorating fresh approach yearly. Students reap the rewards by peeling away the surface of the literature and/or historical event to gain in-depth understanding.
Because the material is so dense in its presentation, because questioning, discussing, debating and analyzing are the norm, thinking, speaking and writing skills are enhanced.
An integral part of the curriculum is the historical development of policing and the part policing plays in the framework of the nation. Literature, too, is selected to highlight the values of the nation and the multi cultural experiences and influences that shape it. Academy students will gain a deeper understanding and respect for disparate cultures and through the acquisition of knowledge, respect that diversity. This understanding is at the core of good policing.
Course is ideally taught in a two-hour team-teaching block where adjustments in those two hours can reflect the needs of the subject matter at hand, i.e., a two-hour debate, a one-hour skills lesson (English), paired with a one-hour history exploration. If this is not a feasible arrangement, back-to-back classes could be scheduled so students transition easily from one class to the other.
Emphasis - Acquisition of communication skills in the balanced domains of
written discourse. An understanding of the political, economic, social and cultural development of the United States.
Concepts include the economic growth and industrialization, and urbanization of the United States, problems in that urbanization, and the role of the United States in the global community. Also studied will be the American institution, values, and practices with an appreciation of the American heritage and the role and significance of immigrants, women, and minority groups and their contribution to society.
Critical essays, newspaper editorials, biography, recurrent themes in literature parallel the historical base. Through them, students will work on composition skills to construct position papers, personal essays, vignettes and critical writings.
Because the Humanitas approach is based on a concept, the linear approach may not be appropriate. However, the following material will be covered:
- Exploration and Settlement
- Colonial Life and the Fight for Independence
- Creating a New Nation: Writing a constitution
- Formative years: Federalist Period and the Rise of Political Parties
- Westward Expansion
- Civil War: Reconstruction and Industrial Growth
- Progressive Era
- World Wars I and II
- The 20's, the Depression, and Beyond
- Cold War Period
- Struggle for Equality - Civil Rights Movement and the Role of Women and Minorities in American Life
- The Nuclear Age
- The Next Century
Literary context will include:
- Concept of Individual Dignity: Short Story
- Concern for Moral Values: Essay and Biography
- Insights into Beauty and Wisdom: Poetry
- Insights into American Society: Drama
- Major themes in the literature of the United States
Skills emphasized include:
- Proofread, edit, evaluate composition
- Acquisition of language (vocabulary, rhetoric, syntax)
- Library and research skills
- Note taking
- Discussions, panel presentations
- Creating an original response (e.g., poem, film, presentation)
Police-related material:
- Examining the role of police in an historical setting (by era)
- The role of police in a developing society
- Issues of community crime and safety
- Historical development of policing
- Changes in society that lead to changes in policing
- Ethical and moral dilemmas
- Portrayal of policing in literature, films, media
- Policing solutions to societal problems
- Cost of effective policing
- Society behind bars
Recommended literature: (beyond State adopted texts)
The Crucible, Arthur Miller
Puritan Poetry
Ben Franklin-Faith vs Reason
Selections from Thoreau, Emerson, Whitman, Hemingway
Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane
On the Road, Jack Kerouac
Jazz, Toni Morrison
Poetry of Langston Hughes
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Sister Carrie, Theodore Dreiser
Beat Poetry
Supplements:
Constitutional Rights Foundation, "Youth and Police"
English 2200 (LAPD ENGLISH SKILLS TEXT)
LAPD Video Library
Peacekeeping in America, Hall
Miner’s Justice-Law and Order on the Alaskan Frontier, Stone
Mormons and Cowboys, Moonshiners and Klansmen
(Law Enforcement in the South and West, 1870-1893), Cresswell
Police in the Communities , Strategies for the 2lst Century, Hess
Police in the Communities, Champion
History of U.S. Marshals, Sommer
Chemistry (Forensic Science emphasis) (Year)
Taught in the context of a "Forensic Laboratory," students will look to natural sciences and laws of science to investigate evidence and draw conclusions. The major emphasis is to learn problem solving, laboratory investigation and independent measurement techniques, introduce concepts in the study of compounds, gas laws, solutions, ionization, understand atomic structure and orbital electron structure, the periodic law, acids, bases, salts, oxidation-reduction, organic chemistry and reaction kinetics.
Crime scene evidence may be as little as a teardrop of liquid in a petri-dish or as complicated as a giant mud puddle. Students will attack the mysteries of the chemistry laboratory in the manner of investigative forensic scientists, gathering evidence, analyzing it, testing it, drawing inference from it.
Students will learn:
- to observe, classify and test
- to understand laboratory techniques that emphasize manipulative skills,
- classification of matter, the assembly and understanding of apparatus, tools, and material
Basic skills of speaking, listening, writing, reading and computation will be addressed through the gathering of information and the participation in group discussions.
Writing skills will be enhanced by applying data from reading to practical problems, making and substantiating hypotheses and generalizations, using the scientific method to compose substantive reports.
Units required to be addressed are:
- Matter and its Changes
- Atomic Structure
- Periodic Law
- Chemical Formulas and Equations
- Chemical Bonding
- The Gas Laws
- Solutions
- Reaction Energy and Reaction Kinetics
- Acids, Bases, and Salts
- Oxidation, Reduction, Reaction
Taking a forensic approach, students will make careful observations, record and organize data, draw conclusions based on data, state conclusions in a manner consistent with that required for scientific inquiry.
Supplemental reference texts:
Beyond the Crime Lab, Zonderman
Forensic Science, DeForest
Intro to Crime Scene Reconstruction, Bevel
Engineering analysis of Fires and Explosions, Noon
Threads of Evidence, Silverstein
Video-Forensic Detective Series (Discovery Channel)
Criminalistic, Saferstein
Math/Spanish
Math and Spanish will be taken in the comprehensive high school, since students will be at a variety of levels in these areas.
Physical Training/Computer
Because students are expected to fulfill requirements for entrance into a university, class schedules for requirements are extensive. By interlocking these courses, students will continue with the physical training and police procedures AND will have an opportunity to continue to gain proficiency in computer skills. If a Seventh period day can be arranged (may be cost prohibitive), then classes could be scheduled for every day. Seventh period could be 2 Ѕ hours twice a week (computers), or one hour daily (Physical Training).
The Physical Training course will continue to emphasize the skills needed for entrance into the Police Academy. Included will be weight training, obstacle course training, police drills, inspection, leadership.
The computer course will work on proficient use of programs (mirroring those used by the Los Angeles Police Department). Simulated detective game packages will be used for interest and proficiency.
Suggested supplemental text: Investigating Computer Crime, Clark
Community Service
Students are expected to devote 20 hours per year working as a volunteer for a community organization. Hours are approved by the on-site coordinator. Students are encouraged to do community and school service beyond the expected minimum. Badges are awarded for community service.
Course of Study - Grade 12
Humanitas/Advanced Comp/English Elective (Brief Advanced Writing) (Year)/Government/Economics (Year)
This is a natural approach to combine the study of Government/Economics with the advanced composition class; an opportunity to hone writing skills while concentrating on the depth of material inherent in the study of government. The function of government includes a look (with an historical perspective) at the function of policing within that government... the limitations, the costs, the community interest, the law.
The course examines the United States system of government, the purpose, structure and functions of federal, state and local levels of government, and the economic principles upon which the system is built. As required in the LAUSD Guidelines of Instruction, studies focus on the United States Constitution, comparative political and economic systems, ideals and practices compared and contrasted with those of other nations. In tandem will be a survey and examination of policing and its function under local, state and federal governments.
The role of the individual as an informed citizen will be discussed as students examine the political system of elections, voting procedures, campaign techniques, political organizations and participation in the process.
The Advanced Composition course works with exposition and the necessity to write analytical/expository essays. Because the course requires close and analytical reading of significant materials, combining this with Government is a natural.
The writing units to be covered are:
- Practical/Informative Writing
- Sensory/Descriptive Writing
- Imaginative/Narrative Writing
- Analytical/Expository Writing
The objectives are to work on critical thinking skills, participate in group discussions, work on study skills, read, interpret, evaluate and respond.
Students will write precis, abstracts, legal briefs, letters of application, reports. Through the study of government/economics, students will develop writing experiences with classification, definition, persuasion and literary analysis. Supporting skills of sentence manipulation, revision, modification, editing, proofreading, etc., will be included.
The tandem Government/Economics course will give the students a basis for explaining political and economic concepts, analysis of basic principles of the Constitution (powers and limitations), and interpreting political, social and economic issues.
Topics addressed include:
- Basic Economic Principles
- Foundations of American Government
- Public Participation
- Congress
- The Presidency
- The Judiciary
- Comparative Political and Economic Systems
- State and Local Government
- Consumer Economics
- Participating in the World Community
As taught in the Police Academy magnet, the following supplemental readings would be appropriate to add a "policing" emphasis and give students an opportunity to understand the part law enforcement has played in the development of government, in the upholding of law and order, and in dealing with the rights of its citizens.
Suggested supplementary reading:
Multi-cultural Law Enforcement, Shusta
Commissioner Roosevelt - Story of Theodore Roosevelt and the New York City Police, Jeffers
Policing a Class Society American Cities 1865-1915, Harring
Political History of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
U.S. Policy Series, Vizzard
Civil Rights, the White House, the Justice Department, Racial
Violence and Law Enforcement in the South, Democracy and Policing, Jones
The Ville, Cops and Kids in Urban America, Donaldson
Local Government Police Management, Gelly
Physical Training
A continuation of the fitness and leadership program designed to condition students physically and prepare them mentally for that which is expected of LAPD Officers.
Police Standards And Training and Conflict Management
An LAPD officer, in conjunction with a classroom teacher will conduct a class covering the POST TESTS (Police Officers Standards and Training), Policies and Procedures required of potential law enforcement officers. The course will include an emphasis on Conflict Management.
L.A. County Schools offer training workshops for Conflict Management, as does LAUSD through its Impact Program, as well as LAPD through their Conflict Management Program.
Included will be a review of and/or reemphasis of:
- State Court System
- The Administration of Justice (Law Enforcement, Judicial, Corrections)
- Property Training Information
- Abused Child Training Program
- Alcohol, Beverage Control License and Law
- Rules of Report Writing
- Domestic Violence Laws
- Missing Person Investigation
- Rules of Investigations and Reports
- Universal Precautions (viral contagions)
- Identifying, Collecting and Processing Evidence
History of Law Enforcement:
- DMV
- Justice Dept.
- F.B.I.
- U.S. Marshal
- Postal Inspection Service
- Drug Enforcement Agency
- Secret Service
- Immigration and Naturalization
- Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
- Armed Forces Police
Introduction to other Police Agencies
- Sheriff
- Department of Parks and Recreation Safety Police
- Los Angeles Unified School District Police
- Housing Authority Police
- Airport Police
- State Police
- Railroad Police
- Arson Detail-LAFD
- Canons of Ethics
Advanced Computers
A continuation of a proficiency based curriculum that gives students hands on experience in programming and using computers in policing.
Advanced Forensic Science
An advanced course that deals with the application of science to the resolution of social, legal and criminal issues. The emphasis is on the role of the forensic scientist in more than the criminal society.
A survey of information and experiments in:
- Criminalistic (examination of physical evidence)
- Engineering Sciences (construction evaluation/origins of explosives/Design flaws)
- Forensic Pathology (Tissue studies)
- Physical Anthropology (study of skeletal remains)
- Odontology (analysis of bite marks/dental remains)
- Documents (authentication)
- Toxicology (Study of effects of chemicals)
- Computers (Discovering fraud)
- Wildlife Forensics (Identifying evidence from animal species)
Program will include guest lecturers, field trips, information about university programs with Forensic specialties.
Elective (Music, Art, School Government, Journalism, Math, Language, Physics, or Internships) (Year)
The 12th grade is an opportunity to explore outside the parameters of course requirements. At this point, students may opt to take a fourth year of math or a fourth year language, a fourth year of science, or any number of elective courses.
Students, who have done community service for the past high school years and/or have worked in a summer police program, and are considered mature enough to handle a rather independent yet controlled program, could apply for an internship program at a security agency or a police department. Internship programs are closely monitored and set up for individual students who will be given the opportunity to learn, in depth, about the real world of law enforcement.
Community Service
Students are expected to devote 20 hours per year working as a volunteer for a community organization. Hours are approved by the on-site coordinator. Students are encouraged to do community and school service beyond the expected minimum. Badges are awarded for community service.
Paths to the Future
Since students must be 20 Ѕ before applying to the LAPD Academy, plans for the transition years (18 to 20 Ѕ) are critical. In order to bridge that gap there are several appropriate options:
- Within the LAPD there is a program available to high school graduates who are 18 years of age. Students may apply to the Technical Reserve Program (four months training period.) Technical reservists work at police stations doing administrative work (police reports, crime reports, administrative assistance). At 21, aside from applying directly to LAPD for a full time position, students can apply as a Line Reserve Officer (11 months training) and work as needed alongside LAPD. Students in the Police Academy Magnet will be familiar with these options before they are out of the high school program and they may opt to complete one of these programs while continuing their education or entering the work force.
- Students will have completed A to F requirements (for entrance into the University of California system and/or other universities). College counselors will be available to help those students with appropriate GPA and SAT scores apply to the universities that have the curriculum to further their education in law enforcement related careers.
- Students with appropriate GPA and SAT scores, who qualify for the California State University system can also continue their education in criminal justice or law enforcement related fields.
- Students may attend a community college, again, furthering their education in anticipation of joining LAPD at age 21. Several community colleges in the area offer appropriate educational experiences for students going into law enforcement.
- Some students will end their formal education (at least temporarily), to go into the work force. Opportunities exist for civilian jobs within the police department and, over the next two years, negotiations will begin to determine the feasibility of transitioning students directly into their civilian work force. A student worker program for those attending colleges or universities will also be discussed.
It is conceivable that, because of our intensive high school educational and physical training program, the LAPD will set up a shortened academy program for students successfully completing the high school program. A shortened program will save the city training expenses, lower wash-out rates (especially among women) and provide the city with truly dedicated, prepared and committed men and women for LAPD.
Since age limits exist and economic factors, school performances and desire come into play, there is a broad spectrum of possibilities that, at completion, will benefit our students, the law enforcement community and the city of Los Angeles.
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