Students can apply to the IU Police Department Cadet Officer Program, the only of its kind in the U.S.
Nowhere else in the nation could Cadet Erin Barker and part-time officer Kurtis Loy earn degrees in anthropology, criminal justice and economics while simultaneously serving their university police force.
Most students in the program concentrate on studies related to criminal justice, but IUPD welcomes students interested in all fields. Some departments also offer credit hours for participation in the program, for which all training and shifts are paid.
“I actually did not start my IU career wanting to be in law enforcement,” Barker said. “My first major’s in anthropology, and I knew I wanted to do something with people. I really enjoy different cultures, meeting different people, diversity.”
As she worked through courses, she began exploring criminal justice classes.
At the beginning of her sophomore year, Barker added criminal justice as a second major.
“By the end of the first semester, I knew about the cadet program, but I wasn’t sure about it,” she said.
However, after talking with family and friends, Barker submitted her application just before the deadline. This school year interested students must apply by January 31.
Now, having completed a two-week training program in early August, Barker patrols Herman B Wells Library and occasionally works on a team with doctors and nurses at football games.
Sgt. Nick Luce, the IUPD training coordinator, said cadets are the eyes and ears of the department and radio incidents to part-time and full-time officers.
“It definitely is a great experience for building up who you are as a person and building up who you are professionally,” Barker said.
Next year, Barker’s responsibilities will change as she moves into the position of a part-time officer like Loy.
Loy said he had always planned to apply for the program, just like his father did in the 1970s.
Now, with his father retired from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Loy wears the uniform.
“I’ve been here for many years, but he has the same authority that I have,” Luce said.
Because the IU Police Academy is a satellite of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, graduates earn full police authority as state-certified law enforcement officers.
“During the police academy, we certainly bonded a lot,” Loy said. “We pretty much all became really close friends. During our pepper spray drills, it was kind of interesting to see who paired up with whom, who helped the other person recover from it.”
Barker said her class has already gotten close as well. They message in a GroupMe, work out and work together often.
Luce said his wife and some of his best friends were in his academy class.
“We build a family while they’re in the program, but even more than that, the whole goal of this program is for him to go out as a 21- or 22-year-old college student and be a liaison between the other college students,” Luce said.
He said one of the pillars of the program is breaking down the us-versus-them mentality often associated with policing.
“We are them,” Luce said. “Our officers are the students, so we want the community to understand that we reflect the community which we patrol as much as possible.”
