IU Police Department Capt. Greg Butler graduated as part of the IU Police Academy’s first class in 1972. This summer, Butler will retire after running the academy for 22 years.
There are seven police academies in the state of Indiana, and every police officer must graduate from one. But the IU academy is the only program specifically for college students, Butler said.
“Things are a lot different now from how they were back then, but I think it’s still a good maturing experience for students,” Butler said. “And there’s not another university in the country with a program like we have where you can graduate with a degree, a law enforcement certificate and job experience all at once.”
After Butler graduated from the program, he served in the Marine Corps for 20 years and then returned to IU to run the summer police academy. Each class usually has about 35 to 40 graduates, he said.
He has seen graduates of the class go on to be hired by IUPD, become police captains in other cities and sometimes enter law enforcement on the federal level. He trained IUPD Capt. Andy Stephenson.
“One of my graduates is the Columbus police chief and some of my graduates are in the Secret Service guarding the president today,” Butler said. “It is very rewarding to see these kids develop a level of professionalism they may have never gotten without the program, and my greatest joy is seeing where they go afterwards.”
Hayley Ciosek, who graduated from last year’s academy class and was just hired full-time by IUPD, said Butler was a leader everyone respected.
“It was always him greeting us in the morning and taking us through the day,” Ciosek said. “He’s a tough guy, but we all learned so much from him.”
Ciosek said she only thought the IUPD cadet program and police academy would be something interesting to do for a year or two, but enjoyed the academy so much she decided to pursue a career in the police force.
“It’s hard work and you put in your hours, but I loved it,” Ciosek said. “I learned that I can be tough and I can take charge, even though I’m only five-foot-one. It’s a big confidence boost if you take the program seriously.”
Students enter the program as cadets, spending a year helping with IU events and security. After the cadet year, students attend the summer police academy for 15 weeks.
Students in the police academy start their day at 6 a.m. with fitness training, Ciosek said. Butler gets up every day to complete the running and cross-fit training with them. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., they take classes on criminal law, HazMat training and how to conduct interviews and traffic stops. They also spend time doing fieldwork and active shooter training.
The program helps out with IUPD’s staffing levels each year, Butler said. With only about 40 full-time officers on a campus of 40,000 people, the cadets and new student officers help make the department’s job easier.
Ciosek is one of six academy graduates being hired full-time by IUPD this year, Butler said. This year, the police academy is starting with 43 candidates. It will be Butler’s last summer running the program.
“This is a program that will continue to march on after I’ve left,” Butler said. “I’m looking forward to this summer even though it’s my last. I’m anxious to see where this group will go and then get to spend more time with my family.”
