Tulsa Tech Students Help Meet Workforce Need

More than a dozen Tulsa Tech students are now sworn detention officers for the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO). The students took part in an industry-specific, collaborative training effort between Tulsa Tech and TCSO and have been rewarded for their hard work by kickstarting a new career.
“I first wanted to be a police officer because I like solving a mystery,” Lucian Bode, a senior at Booker T. Washington High School, said. “I want to be a crimes against children investigator because I have two little sisters, and I would want someone to look out for them. This opportunity with TCSO is a great way to start my career and work while I go to college.”
Detention officers serve a critical need in keeping the community safe. As part of the effort, students learn how to keep themselves and inmates safe. Statewide the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates more than 300 openings for detention officers each year.
“This is a critical time for law enforcement. Fewer and fewer people are answering the call to serve their communities. That’s why this collaboration is so important,” said Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado. “These young men and women are stepping in at a time when we desperately need Detention Officers. They are filling a critical need that will help keep the jail running. I hope each of these graduates will have long careers here at the Sheriff’s Office.”
“Since we started, sheriff’s offices from across Oklahoma have called looking to set up this type of training,” Tulsa Tech Criminal Justice Instructor Michael Brown said. “As far as I know, this is the first program of its kind in the nation.”
Many of these students plan to pursue further education to become police officers, sheriff’s deputies, or join the military.
“This training gives me great confidence in myself,” Abbygail Barbee, a senior at Union High School, said with a smile. “Being able to get a job right out of high school is a great feeling.”
The students are all in the criminal justice programs at Tulsa Tech. High School students spend two years in Criminal Justice Practical Law and Criminal Justice Investigations. Students learn to apply the law, gather evidence, serve warrants and detention techniques.
If you are looking for an in-demand career, visit tulsatech.edu to see which of more than 80 career training options can help you make your own path to success.