There are multiple career needs across South Dakota’s criminal justice system. From the courtroom to the streets, an agreement between trade schools and the state Attorney General’s office is intended to fix that.
Western Dakota Tech in Rapid City now offers a foot in the door for students interested in criminal justice. This comes after a reciprocity agreement was reestablished between the school and the state’s top law enforcement office.
As a result, students can get a two-year certification and circumvent the 520-hour basic training offered by the state Department of Criminal Investigation.
Ann Bolman is president at WDT.
“What we have recently been able to get back on track with is using the South Dakota law enforcement standards and training commissions curriculum," Bolman said. "So, when our students finish up their work in our program, they will be eligible to test with the state law enforcement academy.”
According to the Attorney General’s office, this agreement was briefly cancelled at the beginning of the year after allegations of non-compliance. However, in the time since, WDT has both updated and improved the associated education program.
Jonni Joyce is the program director of law enforcement technology and criminal justice at WDT.
“As they build into their degree, by the second year of their two-year degree program they begin to take law enforcement-specific classes," Joyce said. "Now, in the very last semester we deliver that curriculum and include all the practical skills necessary they are going to be tested on at the end of the two years.”
Joyce said it’s all about familiarization as students prepare for a career.
“The program that we deliver is going to be exactly from the curriculum the state delivers in Pierre at their police academy," Joyce said. "Therefore, the standardization, the industry partners, now know a graduate coming out of this academy is trained exactly how they would have been trained if they had attended the police academy in Pierre.”
The program is officially reestablished at the end of this week.