The University Police Department is holding a new type of training course for students interested in learning more about the role of police officers in throughout the county.
The course goes from March 31 to June 2 with classes held once a week. Applicants will practice live action training in traffic collision investigations, crime scene investigation, and domestic violence issues as well as tour the county jail.
Completion of S.L.E.E.T. will not qualify participants to become official police officers, but it will give them an understanding of the routine and procedures of an officer, said University Police Chief Bill Watton.
He said that this is he first time Cal Poly has offered a training course to students modeled after state and local police academies.
To participate, one must be 18 years old or older, a current Cal Poly student, or an employed faculty or staff member.
A routine background check must be completed prior to enrollment. Applicants must have no DUI arrests within the past three years or any felony convictions.
The course will be limited to the first 20 qualified applicants who enroll.
“Those who participate will have the opportunity to see what law enforcement is like through the eyes of a police officer,” said Jason Le Clair, the University Police Department officer in charge of the course.
Le Clair started working for the University Police Department about a year ago, and worked as a police officer in the Atascadero area for six years.
His experience teaching different police procedures to younger students gave him the idea to create S.L.E.E.T. at Cal Poly.
“I came up with the idea, (of S.L.E.E.T.) when I was an explorer advisor teaching high school students who were very interested and excited to learn the ways of a police officer,” Le Clair said.
The program currently has one faculty member and four students excited to begin, Le Clair said. Four to six officers from the department will be teaching different information throughout the ten-week course, helping participants to learn from a variety of incidents.
Hands-on training and detailed explanation as to how the department works will be the first training programs offered.
“When I began my training for the (California Highway Patrol) officer program, I wish I would have known about a program like S.L.E.E.T. in order to gain more knowledge of police departments’ procedures,” said Dan Lickness, San Luis Obispo resident and member of the CHP program.
The classes will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and follow a normal class structure complete with power point presentations and short lectures. The main activities will be live role-playing and assimilated training, from car collisions to arresting procedures.
The best part of programs like S.L.E.E.T. is the assimilated training events that resemble a real life scenario, Lickness said.
“I believe this will be a big deal, and very big success,” Le Clair said.
For further information on how you can join the S.L.E.E.T. training course, contact Officer Jason Le Clair at 756-5584, or email at jpleclai@calpoly.edu.