{"id":3927,"date":"2022-04-29T17:40:11","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T17:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=3927"},"modified":"2025-02-06T10:03:40","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T15:03:40","slug":"safety-cadets-at-your-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2022\/04\/29\/safety-cadets-at-your-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Safety Cadets: At Your Service"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column3927_b9e016-7c dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Since 2019, Safety Cadets have been a constant presence on all WilmU campuses. And they\u2019ve made a positive impression.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe best job on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s how&nbsp;Tafadziswa \u201cTaff\u201d Bunu, a junior majoring in Business Analytics and Finance, describes the University\u2019s Safety Cadet Program.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The program, which originated with a leadership team headed by&nbsp;Dr. Joseph Aviola, assistant vice president of Administrative Legal Affairs, was implemented in the fall of 2019. It has a two-fold purpose: to supplement Department of University Safety (DUS) staffing after the school\u2019s private security service was eliminated, and to offer students interested in law enforcement careers an opportunity to work alongside and learn from the school\u2019s 21 constables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 2019, Safety Cadets, clad in green polo shirts or black jackets with the University logo and tan pants, have been a constant presence on all WilmU campuses. And they\u2019ve made a positive&nbsp;impression, according to&nbsp;Dennis&nbsp;Craighton, adjunct instructor and&nbsp;DUS administrative manager.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe effectiveness of the program can\u2019t be overstated,\u201d says Craighton. \u201cCadets are available and trained to respond to the many calls for service, enabling the constable staff to respond to more serious calls that may require a law enforcement presence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cadets don\u2019t have the authority to arrest anyone, but they have several duties, including: patrolling facilities;&nbsp;responding to calls from and escorting students, faculty, staff, and visitors; monitoring traffic and assisting with traffic control; securing and opening buildings and classrooms, and working&nbsp;the student identification station.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image3927_1356ba-b4 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image3927_1356ba-b4\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"359\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.test.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/BUNU-web-766x1024-1-359x480.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-14356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/BUNU-web-766x1024-1-359x480.jpg 359w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/BUNU-web-766x1024-1-187x250.jpg 187w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/BUNU-web-766x1024-1.jpg 766w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 359px) 100vw, 359px\" \/><figcaption><em>Safety Cadet Tafadziswa \u201cTaff\u201d Bunu is a junior majoring in Business Analytics and Finance.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to an hourly salary, cadets can earn credits through the Work-Integrated Learning program.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Program coordinator&nbsp;Adam&nbsp;Brams&nbsp;spent 28 years with the New&nbsp;Castle City Police before retiring as a lieutenant six years ago, when he joined the DUS. Brams, who was in charge of a volunteer program while with New Castle Police, does a 15-minute presentation at First Year Experience&nbsp;seminars to help recruit candidates.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who apply must appear before a panel of three or four constables who pose questions and scenarios to them. \u201cThis is a good preparatory experience for them, especially if they\u2019re planning on entering the law enforcement field,\u201d Brams says.&nbsp;\u201cOral board panels for law enforcement positions can be grueling and intimidating, and this gives them a snapshot of that process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brams worked with the constables to set up the training program, which extends over as many as four days. Topics include first aid, CPR, A.L.I.C.E.&nbsp;(Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Evacuate, Counter), verbal de-escalation, integrated medical response, use of pepper spray, self-defense tactics, and general public safety operations, including the access control and CCTV camera systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, recruits undergo field training, where they\u2019re paired with senior cadets and constables and oriented to the daily duties they\u2019ll be performing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instructors are drawn from the constable staff, most of whom have 25 or more years of experience with agencies such as the Delaware State Police, New Castle County and New Castle City Police, Delaware River and Bay Authority Police, the FBI, and executive security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bunu gives the instructors high marks. \u201cWe had experienced&nbsp;specialists in each field speak with us,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it wasn\u2019t the usual \u2018death by Power&nbsp;Point\u2019 you often get. It was interactive, role playing, and the integrated medical training was very hands-on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy family has a security company in Zimbabwe,\u201d he adds, \u201cand I would like to implement all the things I learned here back home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Senior&nbsp;Maddie McCarthy&nbsp;says being a Safety Cadet gave her a better understanding of the subjects covered in her Criminal Justice program.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cBeing able to have first-hand experience gave clarity to the field advice that my professors had covered in lectures,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s an amazing addition to my education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The nine current cadets work five-hour shifts and cover all campuses. They carry pepper spray, a flashlight, and a radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of the current group, Brams says, \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to have them; they\u2019re really on the ball. And we have a nice mix of students and majors, not just Criminal Justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He believes the students are a better fit than the former private security service. \u201cThey\u2019re more invested in the school and the environment, and the age group relates really well to students because they\u2019re peers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Craighton says the University community quickly took notice of the cadets. \u201cWe started receiving positive comments from students, faculty, staff, and visitors almost immediately,\u201d he says. \u201cMany of the comments related to not only the quick response to calls for service and the professionalism shown by cadets, but also the feeling that the&nbsp;University is committed to providing a safe and secure environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cadet&nbsp;Destiny Bryant&nbsp;says the training enabled her to act calmly when she helped Constable&nbsp;Wyatt Foraker&nbsp;resolve a medical issue experienced by a staff member at the Brandywine Campus. Foraker later praised Bryant for her professional behavior.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image3927_681f8d-f3 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image3927_681f8d-f3 size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"664\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.test.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Madison-and-Destiny-web-768x555-1-664x480.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-14357\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Madison-and-Destiny-web-768x555-1-664x480.jpg 664w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Madison-and-Destiny-web-768x555-1-250x181.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Madison-and-Destiny-web-768x555-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 664px) 100vw, 664px\" \/><figcaption><em>Destiny Bryant and Maddie McCarthy enjoy the camaraderie of being cadets while earning an hourly salary and credits through the Work-Integrated Learning program.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Bryant, who is majoring in&nbsp;Biology with a Forensics concentration, says she has become more alert to any potential incidents on campus, and her training has given her confidence that she can handle those situations calmly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to on-the-job&nbsp;guidance, the veteran constable corps can provide valuable connections to employment after cadets graduate. In the short life span of the program, three former cadets have been hired by law enforcement agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of them,&nbsp;Emily Todd, who graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice in May of 2020, is doing often sensitive government work as a physical security specialist for the Department of the Army at its TRADOC (Training and Doctrine Command) Headquarters at Fort Eustis, Virginia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Noting that she sometimes works with TRADOC\u2019s anti-terrorism officer, Todd says, \u201cMuch of my job is classified, but it requires a lot of travel to Army installations all across the country to assess and ensure their physical security measures are up to army regulations and standards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She says she was \u201ctruly blessed\u201d to have been a Safety Cadet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I believe that I had a leg up when interviewing for jobs due to the experiences I had from the cadet program.\u201d \u2014 Emily Todd<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Todd gives special credit to the WilmU constables. \u201cI got to work alongside some of the most prestigious law enforcement officers that Delaware was extremely lucky to have,\u201d she says, \u201cand they instilled in me a tremendous amount of knowledge that I am so grateful for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey were always willing to share their knowledge and stories of things they experienced throughout their careers, and they were never hesitant to help with any of my school assignments or to provide real world insight to what I was learning in school. Thanks to them, I was able to truly succeed and have a different perspective on what I was learning in my classes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, says Brams, the Safety Cadet program is \u201ccustomer service \u2014 a way for the DUS to be more engaged with the University community, especially our students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That aspect of the program is extolled by Bryant and Bunu.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI have gotten to meet so many people on campus while working here,\u201d says Bryant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adds Bunu: \u201cYou not only get to talk to so many interesting people, you also get to be the hero for some very important and influential people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>By Bob Yearick<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since 2019, Safety Cadets have been a constant presence on all WilmU campuses. And they\u2019ve made a positive impression. \u201cThe best job on campus.\u201d That\u2019s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3928,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[163,135],"tags":[9,383],"class_list":["post-3927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifewilmu","category-magazine","tag-criminal-justice","tag-magazine-spring-2022"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":163,"label":"LIFE@WILMU"},{"value":135,"label":"MAGAZINE"}],"post_tag":[{"value":9,"label":"Criminal Justice"},{"value":383,"label":"Magazine Spring 2022"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Spring22_Cadets-480x480.jpg",480,480,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Rachel Marchione","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/rachel\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":163,"name":"LIFE@WILMU","slug":"lifewilmu","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":720,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":90,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":163,"category_count":90,"category_description":"","cat_name":"LIFE@WILMU","category_nicename":"lifewilmu","category_parent":0},{"term_id":135,"name":"MAGAZINE","slug":"magazine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":692,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":431,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":135,"category_count":431,"category_description":"","cat_name":"MAGAZINE","category_nicename":"magazine","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":9,"name":"Criminal Justice","slug":"criminal-justice","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":566,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":383,"name":"Magazine Spring 2022","slug":"magazine-spring-2022","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":940,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":22,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3927"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14362,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3927\/revisions\/14362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}