A program that gives teens the chance to work beside the men and women in blue is on the back burner in West Hartford.
The Police Department said it has temporarily suspended its cadet program.
The program, which teaches young people about law enforcement careers, represents a small fraction of the West Hartford Police Department’s budget. Those in charge of the program said it does cost some money and in these tight times communities are pinching pennies and looking for any place they can to save.
“Public safety always comes first. Our main mission and our main goal is to make sure there’s officers on the road in uniform in their cruisers to prevent crime and there to answer 911 calls,” explained Lt. Mike Perruccio, the department’s public information officer.
Brandon Berlin spent three years in the West Hartford Cadet Program. He said the officer in charge made a big impression.
“I wasn’t that good in school. He took me under his wing, brought me into the police explorer program, completely changed my life.” 02:05: “It taught me responsibility. It taught me core life values, it taught me a sense of meaning,” said Berlin. “It taught me responsibility. It taught me core life values, it taught me a sense of meaning.”
So much so that Berlin, now a cyber security engineer, volunteered to be an advisor for the program.
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“I was going to teach kids what cyber security is and try to tie that into a police explorer program,” said Berlin.
He found out a few days ago that his services would not be needed.
“It broke my heart to have to say they have suspend this program right now,” said Perruccio. “The cadet program is not completely tied to the budget. There were other issues as far as people being available to help run the program and a sufficient number of those officers who would be committed to staying with it in the long-term.”
Perruccio points out that public participation had dwindled. Only a dozen kids had signed up this year compared to the more than 30 that were in Berlin’s class. Perruccio said it became difficult to find enough officers committed to giving up their weekends as well.
Police officers’ union representative Andy Wamester counters that at least ten officers had signed up to be advisors on their own time. Wamester said an anonymous $500 donation by one of the officers ensured the program could run for at least another couple of years.
“We had volunteered our time and a donation of money to help keep the program going, so cutting the program wouldn’t actually save any money,” Wamester said in a statement to NBC Connecticut.
While some community members like Berlin and officers offered to volunteer, the program needed to compensate its officers for their time, Perruccio said.
Meanwhile, the citizen’s academy, a popular program geared toward adults interested in the law enforcement, has been put on hold as well. Perriccio said state budget problems were to blame. The classes are held after working hours and the officers who teach those programs work in the schools during the day, which means they’re paid overtime.
Holly McCarthy attended both the youth and adult programs, which inspired her to become a public safety officer. She worried what the decision would do to recruitment.
“It’s sad because the community is losing something that I believe is a great thing for both young people and older people to be part of. It really showed the positive side of law enforcement,” said McCarthy.
