by KELLI FONTENOT
Published March 18, 2009 in The Current Sauce
Only four students have submitted applications for the newly implemented Reserve Tuition Assistance program, which gives $500 awards to criminal justice majors who add firsthand crimefighting experience to their resumés.
Joe Morris, head of NSU's criminal justice department, said students who work 100 hours as part of the program will receive $500 toward tuition per quarter.
The academy for this program will begin at the end of this month.
In a small city such as Natchitoches, seven police officers might seem like a sufficient amount of protection to some, but there are times when the police department needs additional assistance to keep citizens safe.
"When you look at the Christmas festival, you get thousands of people here, and that's when this program will really come in handy," Morris said.
Lt. Guy Fletcher of the Natchitoches Police Department said the Christmas festival bumps Natchitoches' population of 20,000 up to approximately 100,000 each year.
The police department brings in officers from around the state, totaling 180 officers on traffic and patrol duty.
"Even though Natchitoches doesn't have an ordinance for it, people have learned the hard way that when you have an event with a lot of people there, you've got to have security," Fletcher said.
The reserve officer program has diminished in size over the years because at one point, the department was hiring reserves as full-time officers, Fletcher said.
"At one point, we were hiring from our reserves. So, we hired them all, and we never replaced them," Fletcher said.
Though some police departments do not consider reserve work as actual job experience, others look at it as a valuable step up from having just a college degree.
Even if they don't get hired right away, Morris said the educational experience is worth the time commitment.
"They will have a better understanding of what it is they'll be doing," Morris said.
Criminal justice majors can now earn up to $2,500 per year as reserve officers.
Senior criminal justice major Kevin Ashley said his classes have not yet received word of the program, but he thinks it's an interesting idea.
Ashley did point out, however, that he does not think $500 for 100 hours of work is an enticing offer.
Ashley said the reserve officers should instead be paid an amount closer to the pay of a full-time police officer.
"Cops don't get paid that much anyway," Ashley said.
Ashley said students who participate in the program should be able to collect regular paychecks instead of being paid in one installment.
"A hundred hours is a lot of work to put in," he said.
According to Lt. Fletcher, if a student completes 99 hours of work, he or she will not get the $500 payoff.
They will, however, learn a few valuable lessons.
Many young men and women enter the field based on the excitement of what they have seen in movies and TV shows, Fletcher said.
Fletcher, who was a reserve officer in the '80s, said those students are in for a surprise.
"It's not like it is on TV. I wish it was. I've been waiting for my Lamborghini to show up for quite some time," he said.
Paperwork and police reports make up a significant amount of the work officers deal with on a daily basis, Fletcher said.
"This is your number one weapon as a police officer," Fletcher said, holding up an ink pen.
Learning the significance of filing reports and writing tickets is another valuable benefit of the program, Fletcher said.
The experience with paperwork begins with the extensive application, which requires applicants to pass a psychological exam, a drug screening, a physical exam and a firearms training course.
The police department plans to conduct a background check on each applicant.
Prospective reserve officers must also submit a photograph and be prepared for interviews after they apply.
The students who earn positions as reserve officers will have the same arresting capabilities as a police officer, Fletcher said.
"The advantage of working in a small town like Natchitoches is the diversity of calls that we get," he said.
In larger cities, police departments are often separated into divisions.
Natchitoches reserve officers will take on a variety of different challenges, Fletcher said.
"It's a good place for people to find out what it's really like to be a police officer, but it's a good opportunity to give back to the community as well," Fletcher said.
