EVIT Law students teach Halloween safety

Three, four and five year old Head Start students took a field trip to the opposite side of the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) campus to learn about Halloween safety from EVIT Law Enforcement students.

The children viewed a slideshow featuring the importance of wearing properly fitted, flame-retardant costumes, as well as candy and Trick-Treating safety. The Law students gave them glow sticks and reminded them to use them as flashlights. Above all, they learned that they must stay with an adult, older sibling, or group when Trick-or-Treating on Halloween or any festival event.

Head Start students were greeted by McGruff, the crime dog and were given coloring books, balloons and candy.

Finally they got to crawl into a police replica squad car to see firsthand what it looks like inside, while the Law students explained all the features,

It was a great reminder to the children to stay safe during the Halloween festivities this weekend.

It's Hell Week for EVIT Law Enforcement Students!

East Valley Institute of Technology Law Enforcement students faced Mesa Police Officers today for the start of "Hell Week." The training is preparation for the world they will face as police officers or mililtary personnel. Believe it, or not...they love it.

Students work out to the orders of their drill sergeant with squats, bends and sprints around the campus.
But the students really loved the strategy moves, like leaping over fences.

EVIT Law Enforcement students will meet all branches of the service during Hell Week. Ask them on Friday if they had a good time. I'll bet they say "Hoo Rah!"

EVIT alum named Explorer of the Year

Congratulations to Kayla Abramson, EVIT law enforcement's valedictorian of the 2009-10 school year. She was recently honored as the 2010 Explorer of the Year! Here is Kayla with her award and teacher Tony Garcia:


Kayla was recently honored at the Learning for Life/Joe Foss Award Ceremony with the award, which is considered very prestigious in the law enforcement field.

Great job, Kayla!

Jet dragster and NHRA race car come to EVIT

Wednesday became "Cool Race Car Day" on EVIT's campus, when two different groups brought two different race cars on campus to show off to students.

First up was Elaine Larsen, a jet dragster driver who brought a car designed by students and professors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. EVIT students learned about educational opportunities at the university, as well as some stats about the car, which has 5,000-6,000 horsepower and can go from 0 to 100 in 1 second.


Meanwhile, NHRA racer Tony Schumacher and a group from the U.S. Army were on campus to talk about the military, ROTC opportunities at local universities and racing in the NHRA. Here is Tony's car, which was retired from NHRA racing in 2005:


Tony set a variety of records with this car, including a national elapsed time world record and a national speed world record.

Mesa PD lands at EVIT

The Mesa Police Department landed a helicopter on EVIT's campus yesterday, near the law enforcement and fire science building.

Here are the law students, watching it land:


It's the first time I've ever seen a helicopter up close, and it was smaller than I would have thought.

The officers talked to students about what it is like to fly the helicopter. They are available to back up patrol officers for a wide spectrum of calls -- everything from a barking dog to a homicide. Their primary role is to support patrol, but they also can serve as a search and rescue unit.

The pilots start out as regular Mesa police officers, and then they can request to begin training to work on the helicopter. They have to go through a couple hundred hours of flight training, as well as refreshment training every 90 days.


The students got to ask questions and check out the inside of the helicopter.

Law students visit daycare

Once a year, the law enforcement class visits the daycare in the Early Childhood Education building.

On Wednesday, they went down to teach the kids about safety, introduce them to McGruff the Crime Dog, and set up stations for fingerprinting and temporary tattoos.


The kids even got to sit in a police car, which was a huge hit.


The balloons were pretty popular, too.


Law enforcement teacher Tony Garcia told me it's a positive way to introduce young kids to police officers (to five-year-olds, the high school students do look like real police officers).

EVIT law students treated to K9 visit

Tempe Police K9 Officer Ribotta visited EVIT law enforcement classes today to talk about his job and show off police dog Jaegar's skills.

Students got to ask Officer Ribotta lots of questions, such as how many calls he goes out on in a night and how much training he conducted with Jaegar. Ribotta told stories about how Jaegar has fearlessly taken down criminals.

And then the students got to see Jaegar in action. First, he searched their classroom:


Then they went outside to watch him chase down a "bad guy." Here he is, straining against his leash, dying to go after him:


Officer Ribotta finally lets him go:


The "bad guy" didn't stand a chance! (Don't worry - He is well-trained and was bundled up in a very large, very protective suit.)


Needless to say, Jaegar was a huge hit and about half of the students said they now want to be K9 officers.

Law enforcement students get hands-on tactical training

Tony Garcia's second-year law enforcement students served a search warrant to a suspected drug house this morning during a simulated military tactical training operation.

The Marauders Tactical Training team was on campus to teach the students how to put on proper gear, including helmets, vests and shields, and armed the students with airsoft pellet guns.

The students learned how to get into a standard four-person or six-person formation, and how to enter a high-risk situation.

The students were given "missions" to complete, including search warrant and hostage scenarios.

To see more photos from the training, click here.

Law enforcement students get real world experience

About 20 of Tony Garcia’s law enforcement students hit the streets over the weekend to pass out crime prevention flyers and talk to residents about the role of police officers in the community, as part of a partnership with the Mesa Police Department.

(The photo shows Garcia's morning class all dressed up and looking sharp on Wednesday.)

The students have created their own Law Enforcement Explorer post, a program that aims to give youth insight and training in the field.

Garcia’s students are now working on their second assignment: fixing misprinted telephone numbers on Mesa citations. As part of the Explorer Post program, students also get to ride along with officers on patrol and get a first-hand look at the profession they are interested in.

“They’re hammering out volunteer hours, they’re meeting other officers who do this on a daily basis, and they’re learning how to interact with the public,” Garcia said.