Press Release

Metropolitan Education District 760 Hillsdale Ave San Jose, CA 95136 December 11, 2008

Contact: Michelle Alaimo Communication Specialist (408) 723-6464 malaimo@metroed.net

CCOC's Law Enforcement Class are off to the Police Academy

Students in Central County Occupational Center's (CCOC) Law Enforcement class are off to the South Bay Regional Police Academy this Friday, December 12. Students will participate in physical fitness training and the final inspection for the Academy's graduation ceremony.

CCOC Law Enforcement Instructor Rico Sciaky said that this is the first time his class has participated in the police academy's graduation's final inspection. Police departments from all over the county send representatives to the graduation to scout out potential new recruits. But Sciaky noted that this year, those representatives are in for a surprise; “They are going to look over at our CCOC students and say who are they? These CCOC students are the future!” Sciaky said.

CCOC-a unit of MetroED, has one of the most advanced Law Enforcement Regional Occupational Programs in the state and uses a Firearms Training System similar to what law enforcement agencies use in police academies, Sciaky said.

CCOC's Law Enforcement class is open to high school juniors and seniors from six high school districts: Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Campbell Union High School District, East Side Union High School District, San Jose Unified, Milpitas Unified, and the Santa Clara Unified District. Students learn the nuts and bolts of law enforcement through similar methods used at police academies with a variety of hands-on experiences.

Sciaky said that CCOC students get a leg up on other police academy recruits because when they go for their police academy training, they will already be familiar with how the academy operates and what is expected of them. “It gives students a boost in their confidence,” Sciaky said.

CCOC's class will also be visiting the police academy during its first day of session in January. Sciaky said the purpose of the visit is to show students the difference between police academy recruits on the first and last day at the academy.

Potential police cadets must be at least 20 ½ years old to enter the academy. In the meantime, many participate in CCOC's and the South Bay Academy's Explorer Post program. The Explorer post allows students to interact with local police agencies and learn skills they will need as a future police officer.

“CCOC has a very good Law Enforcement Program,” South Bay Academy's Coordinator, Randy Cardin, said. “CCOC plants the seed” in students to become a future police officer.

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MetroED is the largest career-oriented educational organization in Santa Clara County, comprised of high school and adult occupational, academic and community programs.

MetroED annually provides 30,000 diverse students with the skills to help them be productive, income-earning and tax-paying contributors to Silicon Valley.