As students walk around Bakersfield College or park their car in one of the three lots, they may see someone walking around in a red shirt with a walkie-talkie. These are the Public Safety cadets, and they are all BC students.
“I always see [cadets] walking around,” said Alfredo Lorenzo, a BC student, “I don’t know who they are but they seem to be everywhere.” The cadets are in training to become officers for Public Safety at BC.
Miranda Linton, a first time cadet, said that being a cadet has been “pretty sweet.” Linton said, “I love it. It’s pretty easy. I get my workout by walking around the campus.”
Linton became a cadet when she was approved for federal work study. “This job seemed pretty sweet and interesting so I thought I would give it a try.”
Sgt. Chris Counts of Public Safety says that the cadets are a real aid to the Public Safety officers. “They are an extra set of eyes and ears for us.”
The cadets are not expected to deal with any problems on campus themselves. “We don’t deal with problems personally,” said Linton. “We’re basically the lookouts.”
Aside from patrolling the campus, the cadets work security at every BC football game. “I enjoy working with people,” Linton said, “People come up and ask you questions at events and ask you where things are.”
There are currently seven cadets, a number that Counts said is about average for the program. The cadets go through an extensive hiring process, which involves background checks and multiple interviews with Public Safety staff. Cadets are promoted to officers when their superiors believe they are ready for the position.
Cadets work a maximum of 19 hours a week and are paid minimum wage. “We work around their schedules,” said Counts.
Public Saftey has sent cadets and officers off to work in many law enforcement agencies. “We have had staff go on to work with the BPD, CHP, U.S. Marshals, even the Secret Service,” said Counts.
“I feel that I know what to do now,” said Linton. “I’m interested in being a security guard for a high school or elementary school. Maybe a hospital. I was really interested in working in a jail or something but wasn’t sure how to go about it.”