We want to be reflective of the community, since the community has an 18 percent minority population. Pat Smittle, academic resources and assessment chairwoman at SFCC, said cadets will be better police officers because they will have academic training as well as law enforcement training. Where before, they were just trying to get them to pass the exams to get into the police force. City Manager Wayne Bowers agreed that the program is a win- win situation, since no taxpayer money is used to fund the students' program costs. Instead, funding comes from a combination of the Law Enforcement Contraband Forfeiture Trust Fund, money collected from drug raids and property seizures, private donations or available scholarship programs, Bowers said.
Fees cover education, job training, and uniform and equipment costs.
Although the purpose of the program is to prepare cadets for the police academy, not every student will pursue a career in law enforcement. Smith is pursuing a degree in criminology and psychology, and said she always wanted to work in law enforcement. I'm really interested in law or politics. But now I realize law enforcement is a great start because it is political. This diversity in academic fields is an advantage for the Gainesville police, Mielke said.