Middle Georgia Technical College

MGTC Dual Enrollment Criminal Justice Students Participate in Police Ride-Along Assignment

Warner Robins - Students in the high school dual enrollment Criminal Justice program at Middle Georgia Technical College in Warner Robins have been participating in police ride-along assignments as part of the class requirements. Students were able to ride along with officers from the Warner Robins Police Department and the Perry Police Department during November and December.

Alex McClain, a Perry High School student, was able to participate in the ride along program with her father. "My father and I had a great time together," said McClain. "I was able to witness what officers see on a daily basis."

Bobby Brown, MGTC Criminal Justice instructor at the Houston County Career and Technology Center, sought to develop the opportunity for students to gain experience in the real world of law enforcement. Students have the opportunity to shadow officers during actual work hours and get eyewitness accounts of the types of situations police officers encounter during their daily shifts.

Northside High School Student Kiam Griffith stated, "I had a great time during my police ride-along. It helped me realize why I want to go into law enforcement and has confirmed my career choice."

This program began in 2008 through Brown's collaboration with Captain Chris Rooks of the Warner Robins Police Department and Chief George Potter with the Perry Police Department. The ride-alongs give students the opportunity to ride with an officer for a couple of hours and observe the officer performing tasks such as identifying traffic and/or criminal violations. Additionally, students witness law enforcement concepts and theories learned in the classroom utilized in real-life settings. Once the ride-along assignment is completed, the student must turn in a written summary of the events that took place during the ride-along.

To find out more about the dual enrollment Criminal Justice program at Middle Georgia Technical College, call 478.988.6850 or log on to www.middlegatech.edu. Also, search for MGTC online at Facebook and Twitter. Winter quarter classes start January 12.