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ULLIN, IL. (KFVS) -Police departments across the country and here in the Heartland have been struggling to hire new officers.<\/p>\n
A continuing effort at Shawnee Community College brings departments in need right into the classroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great way to connect with other departments and get my name out there and just open opportunities with different things I can do,\u201d said SCC student Elizabeth Gilbert.<\/p>\n
Gilbert is one of the students at Shawnee Community College pursuing a career in criminal justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really excited I think it\u2019s going to be a great way for me to make a difference in like locally but also at a federal level later on in my life,\u201d Gilbert said.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday morning, police recruiters from the Springfield, Ill. Police Department visited with Shawnee Community College Criminal Justice students.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really makes a difference, it opens our opportunities up so now they know our names by writing our names down on a piece of paper,\u201d said SCC student Hannah Sichlang.<\/p>\n
And the criminal justice professor at Shawnee Community College says his goal is to get students exposed to other police departments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great experience for the students And Shawnee community college to be able to talk to city police officers from north of Illinois that they would never have a chance probably to experience,\u201d said Eric Howard.<\/p>\n
Howard says each semester he brings in representatives from four to five different police departments to network with his students.<\/p>\n
Some of those students even go on to work for those who visited.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet a feel, a little feel for everything. And maybe give them some direction where they may want to go in the future after they leave Shawnee community college,\u201d said Howard.<\/p>\n
Police departments from all across the state are looking for new recruits.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought this was a great opportunity to get down to a part of Illinois that we don\u2019t normally see,\u201d said Sgt. Kris Rhodes with Springfield P.D.<\/p>\n
The Springfield P.D. alone is looking to hire up to 40 new officers this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re down here at Shawnee to let them know the Springfield police department is hiring. And the opportunities that we afford to anybody that wants to become a police officer and serve the capital city,\u201d said Rhodes.<\/p>\n
And it gives Gilbert a chance to talk with other police departments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve opened my eyes to Springfield having that many opportunities to do more than one thing instead of just plain old policing I can do anything,\u201d said Gilbert.<\/p>\n
The police department visits are also open to the public. If you would like to attend one, you can reach out to Eric Howard at erich@shawneecc.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe generally advertise it for the public to come in. And they\u2019re also welcome to come and maybe they\u2019re thinking maybe people that haven\u2019t thought of a career in law enforcement, they could come in and maybe think about it talk to them and see,\u201d said Howard.<\/p>\n Copyright 2022 KFVS. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n