By Michelle Nadjar
December 16, 2013
University of Southern California
WESTCHESTER— Kevin Puig has known he has wanted to be a police officer almost his entire life. After growing up in Inglewood, where he says police often abandon or harass the community members, he looks forward to not only protecting his neighborhood, but truly caring about it as well.
“Growing up in the city, I have seen a lot of different stuff, everything from shootings to a lot of different things,” he said. “But that just motivates me to help and make a change and push the neighborhood forward.”
|
|
| Students work diligently through classes at POPP. |
Puig and many other police-in-training from all around Los Angeles are receiving a unique opportunity as they participate in the Police Orientation and Preparation Program, also known as POPP. This two-year leadership program is a collaborative effort by the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the Los Angeles Community College District. These three institutions together provide the training and academic resources for these students to be prepared for the LAPD academy training.
Read more about the trainees on POPP's Cadet Blog.
This distinctive program was founded by Roberta Weintraub, a former school board member of LAUSD. Her original goal was to produce a more rigorous version of an introductory police academy magnet program that was offered at only six local Los Angeles schools at the time. Weintraub raised the $1 million that was needed to initially start POPP through various fundraisers, and now serves as the executive director of the program.
“The idea behind my goal was to be able to provide the LAPD with a solid set of officers that are ready for duty upon graduation,” she said. “Ultimately I want 50 officers coming out of here every year.”
Take a look at a day-in-the-life of a cadet through this slideshow.
Students ranging from high school to college-level come to school Monday through Friday at the Ahmanson Training Center in Westchester, where POPP is held. Dressed in brown khaki slacks and blue polo shirts with their names printed across them, these cadets appear to be in sync and committed to their futures.
Each morning, the students perform a punctual flag salute at 6 a.m. sharp, followed by rigorous academic morning classes, and afternoon physical training, which includes fence hopping, tire flipping, and rope climbing. Puig says he likes the routine of the program because it keeps him on-track with his goals.
 |
|
| Climbing rope is part of POPP's physical training routine. |
“I know as an actual police officer, I must abide by many rules and regulations,” he said. “With this type of routine, POPP is not only teaching us the information we will need to know, but also about the lifestyle we will be living.”
Jeffrey Burgess, POPP director, works closely with LAUSD, and is responsible for ensuring each student stays focused, despite the difficult curriculum.
“When they come here, they take their last year of high school and their first year of college concurrently,” he said. “The students are all enrolled in typical classes such as English and economics, but they must tackle subjects such as police administration, community relations and outdoor physical training as well.”
However, according to Burgess, these particular students were not always pegged as the ‘school type.’Â He says many of the participants of POPP are students who felt lost and helpless in a typical high school atmosphere. Now, he says, they feel driven and empowered when it comes to school.
| POPP recruitment video (Courtesy of YouTube). |
“Many of the students here have told me they did not think they would ever graduate high school, let alone receive any kind of college degree,” Burgess said. “But now, they are working toward making a decent salary and working a middle-class job. I’d say working as a police officer is definitely a middle-class job, and a profession to be proud of accomplishing.”
The students at POPP agree that they are lucky to have access to this opportunity, and say they are finally feel at peace with the idea of school.
“This is the first time I am happy to come to school every day,” said 18-year-old student Rosalia Cruz. “I don’t think any other place or school would help me meet my goals as much as here.”
The students display a lot of motivation and enthusiasm throughout the hard work they put into their physical training each day. However, according to the administrators that monitor their progress, their most notable skill is their unwavering commitment.
“I love working with these students, they are so driven and so motivated,” said Eric Brach, head of academic tutoring at POPP.
Brach, who knows each student by first name, spends a considerable amount of time with them each day. He is able to not only watch them become smarter, faster and stronger, but also more confident in the skills they possess.
“They really bring a kind of dedication that’s very rare every single day. It’s quite impressive.”
Log onto the POPP website to apply for the program.
Get involved with POPP by connecting to their Facebook page.
Want to contact the writer? Email Michelle Nadjar here.