Lincoln Police and Southeast Community College are joining forces on a new partnership. Police Chief Michon Morrow says the Training Academy Partnership provides college credits for commissioned officers who complete LPD’s Training Academy Program and enroll at SCC.
“We are thrilled that TAP will be the first-of-its-kind at SCC as the college works to model this program with other law enforcement agencies,” Morrow says. “We believe that higher education expands our officers’ knowledge and enhances their leadership abilities, paving the way for future promotional opportunities.”
TAP will provide college credits for commissioned officers who complete LPD’s Training Academy and enroll at SCC. The LPD is now the first law enforcement agency in Nebraska to partner with SCC on this type of program.
Graduates can apply for up to 30 hours toward an associate degree in criminal justice. Morrow says nearly 250 LPD training academy graduates from the past decade are eligible for program credits. The department incentivizes higher education for its officers by providing $300 in additional pay annually for those with an associate degree and $750 for those with a bachelor’s degree.
“The TAP partnership gives our officers a meaningful opportunity to invest in their career success. “The Training Academy Partnership is another tool in our toolbox to recruit and retain officers and support public safety in Lincoln,” says Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird.
Officers are eligible for full tuition reimbursement through the First Responder Recruitment and Retention Ac and the program requires no funding from City of Lincoln or LPD. Dr. Paul Illich, SCC President, says the collaborative partnership with LPD is significant because it helps establish a pathway for future arrangements with other organizations and agencies.
“I believe the SCC/LPD Training Academy Partnership is an excellent example of what it means to be an open-access institution of higher education, and I look forward to continuing to expand this partnership and to the launching of similar collaborative opportunities throughout southeast Nebraska.”
