1. Lexi Shiver
10/15/14
Cadet Program Tour Reflection
Heading into the career exploration activity our class experienced on Friday,
I thought I knew a great deal about the IUPUI Cadet Program. I knew you had to be
21 by May 2016 to participate (which means I won’t be able to), I knew you got to
pretty much job shadow an officer for an academic year, and I knew that the cadets
went to some sort of academy at the end of that academic year. What I didn’t realize
is that the training is exactly like the training that State Troopers and all Indiana
police departments go through as well. When I learned that, I gained a whole new
respect for the cadets. They have to endure rigorous physical training, get tazed, get
pepper sprayed, go through EVOC training, learn how to shoot various types of
firearms, and so much more before they become IUPUI Police Officers. Turns out
they aren’t the Rent-a-cops that I thought they were.
The tour was actually really interesting. I had no idea that Ball Hall’s
basement was so active! Again, I thought that our “police department” was going to
be a three room little building with a little “holding cell” and a lady at a desk making
people sign in, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only does our police
department have the lady at the desk, but it also has a dispatch center that receives
100 calls in a day sometimes, a fully padded training room where they brush up in
their defensive tactics and what not, and rifle/bike rooms where they store the rifles
and bikes for those officers who are certified to use them on duty. IUPUPD operates
completely on their own (not under the supervision of any other police
department), has jurisdiction all over the state, and is completely self -sufficient.

2. Since I knew I could never apply for the cadet program, I wasn’t really
looking to get anything specific out of the trip. It was just going to be a nice way to
end a rough week of classes. However, I did end up learning a lot about our law
enforcement here on campus, which I really enjoyed. Learning about their training
and their procedures gave me a newly found faith in the IUPUIPD that I otherwise
wouldn’t have had. I probably would have called IMPD had anything serious
happened to me before this trip because I wouldn’t have trusted p lain old college
students to act as police officers, but now that I know a little bit more about them, I
trust them for sure.
Again, I didn’t ask questions because I didn’t feel as though I had anything to
gain from this experience. It was also a lot to take in and process at once, so it was
difficult for me to think of questions. They did a great job covering everything that
we wanted to know.
Learning about IUPUIPD and the Cadet Program was beneficial from a career
aspect because the connections they have are fantastic and the program is a great
resume builder. As they mentioned in their presentation, the IUPUIPD works with
countless other agencies around the state such as the State Police, the Greenwood
police, all other IU campus police, etc. These connections could open doors to
awesome careers in the future. Also, the Cadet Program looks great on a resume.
That could be the difference between getting hired and getting rejected.
Though I cannot become a cadet while here at IUPUI, I may be able to get my
foot in the door some other way through IUPUIPD. I could possibly work for
dispatch or in the office or really anything related to the police department so that I

3. may possibly obtain the same connections that all the cadets will gain. I want to
some day work for the FBI which means I’ll need 3 years work experience before I
can even apply, so I was planning on becoming an Indiana State Trooper for those
three years. The connections that the IUPUIPD has with the state police could be
vital in my quest for my goal.