Career and Technical Education student completes Law Enforcement Career Academy

Haley Forbes

Clare-Gladwin CTE Criminal Justice student Haley Forbes of Beaverton graduated from the 38^th Kiwanis Law Enforcement Career Academy at the Michigan State Police Training Academy this summer in Lansing. 

As one of 50 students who participated in the week-long camp led by ten Michigan State Troopers, Forbes’ days began with physical training at 5 a.m., followed by a strict schedule allowing limited time to get ready, eat breakfast, and attend classes covering a variety of topics, including the canine team, first aid, defensive tactics, drug and alcohol patrols, the forensics lab, and more.  

Forbes also practiced water safety using the training tanks, rode in the patrol cars with the troopers on the drive track, and shot rounds at the shooting range. “At the drive track, the troopers were hitting speeds of up to 90 mph,” she said. “It was a heck of an adrenaline rush.”   

Forbes’ knowledge and passion for criminal justice proved to be beneficial as the troopers selected her as a Class Commander for the final two days of the week, giving her the responsibility of leading her fellow cadets to and from class, through the graduation ceremony, and ensuring they always arrived at their destination on time. “It was scary, but exciting at the same time,” she said. “I got to yell just like the troopers!” 

Forbes credits the Clare-Gladwin Career and Technical Education (CTE) class for her success at the academy. “CTE really put me at an advantage because, for the most part, I had an idea of what I was doing,” she said. “I felt a lot more comfortable because I had learned so much in CTE last year.”   

Although Forbes is still discovering exactly what career she’d like to eventually pursue in the criminal justice field, she said the academy gave her a new respect for those in law enforcement. “As our class progressed through the week, I learned a lot about what it takes to become a State Trooper, and it takes all you have,” she said. “It’s truly unbelievable. I can honestly say this job takes the most amazing men and women.”  

Forbes will be attending Delta College in the fall of 2014 and plans to get involved in the school’s criminal justice program. 

Forbes encourages her peers to take part in a CTE class to gain experience in a profession they may be interested in. “Most people think the CTE Criminal Justice class is just for kids wanting to be police officers, but you learn so much about all the different jobs within the field,” she said. “If you don’t know what you want to do, CTE classes are great because they give you an idea of what the job is really going to be like.” 

Criminal Justice is one of nine career and technical education (CTE) programs offered to local high school juniors and seniors at the Clare-Gladwin Career Center, a program of Clare-Gladwin RESD. Students spend half of their regular school day in CTE and the other half at their local high school. For more information, please visit www.cgresd.net.