FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ?????? ??????????????????????? ??????????? ??????????? OPCLEE
THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2002 ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? 202/307-0703
POLICE CORPS GETS UNDERWAY IN MINNESOTA
First Class Graduates Under Justice
Department Program
LITTLE FALLS, MINNESOTA ? The first class of
Minnesota Police Corps cadets will graduate in ceremonies here on Friday, June
7, 2002.? Seventeen highly-trained
Police Corps officers will be added to community patrols throughout
Minnesota.? Minnesota is one of 22
states and territories that recruit and train college graduates to serve four
years as community police officers through a program funded by the Department
of Justice?s Office of Justice Programs (OJP).
?These men and women have distinguished themselves
through their perseverance and commitment to serving their fellow Americans,?
said Deborah J. Daniels, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice
Programs.? ?These officers will be
working to ensure public safety and making a difference in the lives of
citizens they serve.?
??????????? ?The Police Corps is a competitive college scholarship program for
students who
agree to work in a state or local police force for at least four
years.? Scholarship funds cover
education expenses, including tuition, fees, books, supplies, transportation,
room and board, and miscellaneous expenses.
Tomorrow?s graduates of the Minnesota Police
Corps program will join six law enforcement agencies, including the Minnesota
State Patrol, and the Blaine,
Burnsville, Edina, Lakeville, and St. Cloud Police
Departments.
The graduating Police Corps officers are:
Mike Bell of Waite Park; Craig Benz of Bloomington; Eric Carlson of South St.
Paul; Patrick Gast of Prior Lake; Jason Haider of Lino Lakes; Emao Morgan of
Inver Grove Heights; Paul Oelrich of Bemidji; Erika Riggs of St. Paul; Bryan
Rychner of Ramsey; Jeremy Solie of Maple Grove; Pilar Stone of St. Peter; Kevin
Sullivan of Spring Lake Park; Jared Taylor of Morristown; Mandi VanOverbeke of
Alexandria; Dana Wallace of Bloomington; Robert Zak of Forest Lake; and Gina
Wieler of Walhalla, North Dakota.
The graduation ceremony, which will be held
at the Camp Ripley Recreation Center, is the culmination of a rigorous 21‑week
Police Corps training program.? This
basic training teaches the knowledge, skills and attitudes police officers need
to serve on community patrol. At the conclusion of the training, all
participants must satisfy high performance standards for physical, mental and
emotional fitness. The police departments in which individual participants will
provide additional training as appropriate.
Students interested in the Police Corps apply
to the lead agency of the participating state in which they wish to serve. The
Minnesota Police Corps is currently accepting applications for the Fiscal Year
2003 class. Applications are evaluated based upon defined selection criteria.
???????????
For additional information about the Minnesota Police Corps program, contact Vikki Otto at 651/628‑6722 or see http://www.dps.state.mn.us/patrol/policecorps/.?? Information about OJP?s Police Corps program and other OJP initiatives is available at the OJP Website at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/opclee.
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For additional information contact Sheila
Jerusalem at 202/307-0703.