KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Kent Intermediate School District (ISD) students interested in a law enforcement career took part in a special training session Monday in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The program was launched by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Grand Rapids in 2018 and has returned this year after a hiatus due to COVID-19. The program educates teens and young adults about what a career in law enforcement looks like.
The hands-on program gives students an opportunity to collect evidence in a mock crime scene, conduct interviews, document evidence and more.
“Yes, this is unique. This is the first cadet program that HSI has partnered with in the entire nation. They began this five years ago,” said Kent Career Tech Center instructor Ben Hawkins, “and they have taken it off ever since. It's changed and improved every year. Since the inception. Now we have actual students who were students in our classroom, who are now interns or are going to be an intern with Homeland Security Investigations.”
On Monday, students learned about how to execute an arrest warrant and document evidence in a variety of cases like cryptocurrency, smuggling cash, narcotics and the dark web. Later this week, students will learn about undercover surveillance, search warrants and grand jury testimony.
To learn more about the criminal justice program at Kent Career Tech Center, click here.
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