The office of the Mayor and Seattle Central Community College announced a new partnership between the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Seattle Central Community College to offer a free five-credit course entitled “Introduction to Community Policing.” The course will cover basic policing skills with an emphasis on collaborating with the community, as well as help recruits prepare for exams required to become a Seattle Police officer.
“This is part of our effort to increase the accessibility of the police recruitment process through our SPD: 20/20 reform initiative,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. “We plan to hire 300 new officers over the next five years. We want to make sure that if you’re a member of our community interested in being one of those officers, you have the tools you need to accomplish that goal.”
The course will be offered in the evening at Seattle Central Community College beginning with the fall quarter. Because it is an accredited course, interested students need to enroll at Seattle Central. Current students can simply sign up for the class through the regular registration process.
“This partnership between Seattle Community Colleges and the Seattle Police Department will help students prepare for a career in law enforcement,” said SCCC President Paul Killpatrick. “Because Seattle Central has a diverse student body which reflects its neighborhood, we hope the class will draw some of these students into police work. A diverse police force better reflects the community it serves and protects.”
Though college officials anticipate that the course will fill up quickly — only 25 slots are available in the fall class at Seattle Central Community College — SPD and the Seattle Community Colleges District hope to expand their partnership to other campuses in the coming quarters.
“We want to make sure we’re getting the best and the brightest,” said Assistant Police Chief Nick Metz. “This course will help broaden our applicant pool and make sure our recruits are better prepared when they take the police exam. We look forward to partnering further with the Seattle Community Colleges District.” (end)