Cadet program results from Colorado partnership between Community College of Aurora and police

People in Colorado interested in public service have an opportunity for free higher education. The Aurora Police Department is partnering with the Community College of Aurora for a cadet pilot program.  

Dr. Bobby Pace, Vice President of Academic Success at CCA, says the college had its own academy for over 20 years, but enrollment began to decline around 2016. After that, they decided to find another avenue for law enforcement education.

"Former Interim Chief of Police Dan Oates, who had been serving in New York City, reached out to us and said there's a great program that seems to be getting recruits for the police department by partnering with local community colleges. It allows students from the community to serve in their community," explained Pace. "He asked if this would something we're interested in. That conversation became the genesis of this new partnership program."

Under the new program, students who commit to working three years at APD get the cost of their associate degree covered. It includes tuition, fees and textbooks.

Pace says Community College of Aurora is partnering with outside philanthropists to fund the program, which would cost students around $12,000 on average.

They can choose a degree in any field.

"We wanted to make sure that students have a significant opportunity to diversify their own educational experiences. When you think about the work of APD, you've got accountants, you've got communication. There's a whole litany of things beyond just being an officer that folks can do that support the work of the department," said Pace.

The expectation is that graduates will want to serve the Aurora community.

Chief Chris Juul at APD says the intent is for graduates to become officers.

"This gives them an avenue to get that degree and not just enter public service without having something that they value," said Juul. "They get the benefit of getting the associate's degree at no cost to themselves and walking out of that opportunity, having a job in their pocket that's going to have a great career."

Juul says this program gives APD an opportunity to recruit degree-focused people they might not have been able to before. Not only will they leave with an education, but valuable experience in the police field.

Students will have an apprenticeship during their studies.

"We would look at introducing them to some of the critical aspects of how we do basic reporting, how we do some of our training, and basic geography of the city to get them set up for success once they enter the academy after they complete the Associate's degree," said Juul.

Having that degree will also allow grads to move up in the ranks at APD.

Cadets who get their AA degree and can't complete the three years as an Aurora police officer can pivot to work for the City of Aurora. If they opt for another career, they will incur costs prorated by the amount of years they've served.

Minimum Requirements:
- Must be 17 years of age or older
- Must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident
- Must not have more than 30 credit hours of prior college credit
- No felony convictions or Colorado State POST disqualifiers
- Must complete required program hours and community engagement opportunities:
- 40 volunteer hours per year
- 8 program hours per month
- Must maintain a 2.5 GPA and be enrolled full time, earning 15 credit hours per semester

For more information, visit a special section of auroragov.org.