CCIU’s Partnership with Sheriff’s Office Benefits Students Pursuing Careers in Criminal Justice

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Chester County Special Deputy John DiBuonaventuro discusses K-9 procedures with a TCHS class.

CCIUIn the not-so-distant past, high school students with an interest in criminal justice considered themselves fortunate if they got minimal face time with a law enforcement representative during their high school’s annual career day.

These days, Chester County’s aspiring public servants have multiple opportunities their parents never experienced.

At the Chester County Intermediate Unit’s Technical College High School, students in grades 10-12 can jumpstart their law-enforcement careers by enrolling in the Criminal Justice & Police Science program. It’s one of nearly two dozen vocational programs that students can pursue.

The teens spend half a day at one of the three campuses that serve the county’s school districts and earn electives needed for graduation, credits that come with hands-on experience, guest speakers, and networking opportunities. For aspiring members of law-enforcement – a field that runs the gamut from police officers to surveillance technicians – the curriculum includes activities that employ surveillance and security techniques, fingerprinting, crime-scene skills, and more.

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“We want to position the students to pursue their passions,” said Jim Sharkey, who runs the Criminal Justice program at TCHS’s Brandywine campus with Steve Dintino.

For more than a decade, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office has enjoyed playing a role in that process. Deputy sheriffs make presentations at least once a year at the school, and sometimes students end up visiting the Sheriff’s Office to expand their knowledge of its operations.

Dintino said the Criminal Justice curriculum was created to offer students real-world experiences, whether they end up as a correctional officer, a police officer, or a security technician. Evidence that the program’s diverse focus has succeeded: Some colleges even give students credits for some of their high school coursework.

The partnership between TCHS and the Sheriff’s Office mirrors the goals of VISTA 2025, Chester County’s 10-year economic development strategy.

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