PRESS RELEASE

Criminal justice students’ campus experience leads to law enforcement careers

KOKOMO, Ind. — Hands-on experience as Indiana University Kokomo campus police cadets led Lainey Armes and Trenton Rawls to employment at the Kokomo Police Department before they graduated.

Armes, from Tipton, and Rawls, from Kokomo, completed criminal justice degrees in December, but were sworn in as KPD officers in September.

“It’s the best job in the world,” Rawls said. “I truly believe the department we are working for is amazing. The people we work with and work for are good to work with. Usually, people are calling us in the worst moments of their lives. It’s rewarding to show up and help them through it and know you made a difference in their lives.”

Both previously served with the IU Cadet Officer program, which allows full-time IU students to work in the criminal justice system and a law enforcement agency while earning a degree. It includes participating in the IU Police Academy, which means they graduate not only with a bachelor’s degree, but as a state-certified law enforcement officer with full police authority.

That credential helped the IU Kokomo graduates stand out among applicants, because the Kokomo Police Department could put them to work immediately, rather than first sending them to the Indiana State Police Academy for 12 weeks.

Armes, who joined the cadet program in 2022, said it was a great opportunity to get real-world experience in a department where their academic progress came first.

“They had an emphasis on going to school first, and they make sure you’re getting all your schoolwork done, and then work comes on top of that,” she said.

Their duties included answering emergency calls, performing building checks, escorting students to their vehicles as requested, responding to any accidents in the parking lot, writing parking tickets, providing security at campus events, and shadowing campus police officers.

Campus police mentored them and prepared them for the challenges of the IU Police Academy, a 14-week program in Bloomington. Officers shared what they needed to do to be ready, and what to expect.

Armes earned the Greg Butler Academic Achievement Award for having the highest test grades throughout the academy, and also set a new female pushup record, completing 82.

 “I walked in knowing it was going to be challenging,” she said. “Getting up at 5 a.m. for physical training at 6 a.m. was a struggle. It helped that we had a smaller class size. We graduated with about 26 people, and at the state police academy there will be hundreds. It helped with connecting with people.”

They graduated from the Academy August 16, along with fellow IU Kokomo students Eli Harris and Mason Salts. On September 5, Armes, Rawls, and Harris were sworn in as KPD officers. After a month of post-academy training, they started four months of field training with senior officers.

It was challenging to work full-time afternoon shifts while taking their last classes to graduate in December.

“Since we were in a training phase, we were learning something new every day at work,” Rawls said. “You put a lot of brain power into that, and then you go home and have homework to do for school. It’s hard balancing doing your work and being successful in your classes, and also focusing on your career and making sure you are progressing through your training phase.”

Both praised their criminal justice faculty for supporting them and making sure they knew about opportunities like the cadet program.

“One of the highlights of IU Kokomo is the classes are small, and you’re able to build relationships with your faculty,” Rawls said. “They know your name. You’re not just a number to them. You’re their student, and they care about your well-being. I can’t say enough about our professors. Every one of them is amazing, and they’ve helped me so much during my four years.”

Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.