Scottsdale Community College is introducing a new Veteran’s Pathway Program for military members who have served in the armed forces.

SCC and Windom Security are working together to create a program that will provide for participating veterans a Certification of Completion in law enforcement. 

“(It is) a partnership between a private sector security company (and) us as an education institution coming together to educate young women and men who are veterans (and) who want to work in law enforcement,” said Walter Olsen, SCC’s program director for Justice Studies and Forensic Science.

The program consists of five classes that are a hybrid of online and in-person instruction. It spans 11 months and will begin in January 2022 “depending on enrollment,” according to Olsen.

Olsen explained SCC was chosen for the partnership based on the strength and reputation of the school’s criminal justice program.

“Every person that teaches in my discipline, whether it’s on the criminal justice side or forensic side, has either worked or still works in criminal justice,” Olsen said.

This Veteran’s Pathway Program does not guarantee its participants a job in the field, but it gives students a better understanding of what a law enforcement position entails.

According to Olsen, the new program will give those enrolled a “competitive edge.” It will have the Phoenix Police Department’s endorsement, as well as the Scottsdale PD’s. Olsen also said the Mesa PD, Tempe PD, and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office will lend their support.