Cody Klotz dreamed of playing baseball in college and then joining the Marine Corps. At Maryville, he found his true calling.

Klotz, a second-year criminal justice/criminology major and a Saints baseball student-athlete, flashes a smile when you ask about his participation in the St. Louis County Police Department’s Police Cadet Program.

“On the mornings I’m scheduled for duty, I wake up loving everything about it,” says Klotz. “It’s the environment, getting to know so many people and knowing that I can make a change for the good. My parents always told me that if you don’t love what you do you won’t be any good at it.”

The program, which launched in the past year, is open to 18 to 21 year olds who are enrolled in college and interested in pursuing police work as a career. Participants receive a small stipend and a uniform. They experience a wide range of police work, including the crime scene, crime laboratory and fingerprint units.

Klotz, the first student from Maryville admitted to the cadet program, quickly progressed to ride-alongs with veteran police officers. He has traveled the county’s eight police precincts.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve seen it all, but I’ve certainly seen more than most college sophomores,” he says. “I’ve learned about de-escalating a fight and when to use a taser or pepper spray.”

Klotz is also learning about the prevalence of violent crime and how it often occurs within families and groups of people who know one another. The experiences have spurred him toward another academic interest.

“I’m going to study abnormal psychology to try and understand how the brain works,” he says.

St. Louis County Police Partnership
Geriann Brandt directs the criminal justice/criminology program. As a former St. Louis County police officer, she has an invaluable insider’s perspective on a career in law enforcement. Brandt has leveraged her expertise and network since 2008, when she nurtured a longlasting partnership with St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy — a 25-week training program. More than 90 municipalities send candidates through the Academy, and most graduates are hired onto a police force.

Successful completion of the Police Cadet Program is a strong stepping stone toward the Academy and job placement.

“This is a win-win for students,” Brandt says. “Success in the cadet program means a guaranteed seat in the Academy. Over the years, we’ve had a 100 percent hire rate for Maryville graduates who complete the Academy.”

A college degree is not required for police work, but the achievement gives graduates a competitive edge, Brandt says.

“That degree translates into better salaries and greater opportunities for promotion, and if students want to work for a federal agency some day, a degree is required,” Brandt says. “What we teach at Maryville prepares well-rounded police officers because they’re studying constitutional law, humanities, philosophy, history.”

First Woman to Join Cadet Program
Angie Isaacs, who holds the distinction of being the first woman to enter the cadet program, came from Minnesota to study the forensic side of crime at Maryville.

“Ever since I was little, I was fascinated with solving crimes and wanted to go into forensic science,” says Isaacs. “But when I started studying it, I quickly realized I didn’t want to work in a lab. I wanted to be the face of criminal justice. I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.”

During her first semester, Isaacs spent seven hours a week in the Cadet Program learning what she called “behind the scenes” duties like personnel services, police hierarchy, finger printing and security at the court house. She believes women play a special role in police work.

“We have a different take on how to deal with people, and I think we can help change how people interact with police,” she says.

Brandt says police work is just one of the many law enforcement jobs pursued by graduates of the criminal justice/criminology program.

“Many of our students move into federal positions with the FBI, the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the Secret Service,” she says. “For all of them, this new cadet program is another big plus.”