Keyona Richardson
CJ 1107

On February 29th Louisiana State University of Eunice had a criminal justice career fair; which consisted of various police academies, such as Opelousas Police
Department, St. Landry Parish Police Department, Fire Marshal, etc. Opelousas Police Department taught me a lot of things that I need to know in order to become part of their team. In order to work for the police department you have to at least have a high school diploma or GED to start. The salary range starts at about 13 dollars an hour. Officers pay into their retirement. By the time they have 20 years of service they will get back 65% back, 80% back for 25 years of service. There are two types of benefits this department offers, which are: educational and medical. An educational benefit helps better the public and keeps you up to date on the newest technology. The more you go through being a police officer the more you know through your experiences. Medical benefits forces officers to go to the gym and exercise to stay in shape. A three mile run is equal to a seven minute fight on the street. To become a certified police officer you need approximately 12 weeks of training. During training you will learn how to use your weapons, the internet, take finger print, and take DNA, defensive driving and investigations. Officers are promoted by taking a promotion test after one year prob. Period if pasted you are bulged from PO to PFC. This department also has special units and to