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*Scholarship program - The OSTA awards $1000.00 scholarships to the top 10 candidates each year
*Teddy bear program - Each trooper is provided teddy bears for their unit to calm children in times of trauma or an accident. The OSTA members also visit hospitals during the Christmas season and distribute the teddy bears to the children.
*Immediate relief - The OSTA provides immediate relief to OSTA members and their families in times of crisis.
*Trips to the National Law Enforcement Memorial - When a trooper’s name is being added to the memorial, the OSTA provides trips to Washington D.C. for the widows and family members.
*Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial - The OSTA is a sponsor of the memorial and participates in the ceremonies each year.
*Oklahoma Special Olympics - The OSTA is a supporter of the games and the athletes. Part of the support for the Special Olympics is derived indirectly through the sponsorship of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Torch Run in which law enforcement officers throughout the state participate in running the highways of Oklahoma.
*Cadet Lawman Academy - For the Department of Public Safety, the first full week of June means Cadet Lawman Academy. The program, a collaboration between law enforcement and citizen groups, has been well received since it’s beginning in 1974, when 39 boys were admitted into the program.
In 1976, 3 girls attended along with 44 boys. This was also the first year the Oklahoma Elks Major Projects joined the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Safety Education Division in sponsoring the program.
In 1977, Cadet Lawman moved from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Training Center in Oklahoma City to an Air Force Base in Burns Flat, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma State Troopers Association also began it’s sponsorship of the program. The OSTA has purchased or donated numerous items for the academy such as weapons used by the cadets as well as air conditioning for building #120, where the cadets are housed. The O.S.T.A. also sponsors approximately half of the cadets that attend.
In 1990, the academy welcomed 125 cadets. This academy would maintain the distinction of being the largest academy for seven years. In 1997, the academy hosted 66 girls and 76 boys, totaling 142 cadets and claiming the title of being the largest academy, at least for now. The 2007 academy is projecting 162 cadets being split evenly between boys and girls.
To date 3,377 young people have attended the Cadet Lawman Academy and it has been estimated that 35% of academy attendees later choose a career in the field of law enforcement.
Cadets for the academy must be an Oklahoma resident in between their junior and senior year in high school, be in the top half of their class academically, and be physically fit. In addition, they must also obtain sponsorship from their high school principal or superintendent, their local Elks Lodge President, and an Oklahoma State Trooper.
The academy is designed to show cadets what troopers and law enforcement officers do day in and day out and to give them a taste of academy life for State Troopers. Cadets accepted into the academy will start their day with reveille at 05:30 hours and end their day at 23:00 hrs. The long days will include instruction and hands on experience in several areas of law enforcement such as traffic stops, firearms safety and operation, basic driving skills, Military drill and many other aspects of the law enforcement world. Cadets will also observe demonstrations by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol bomb squad, dive team, drug interdiction unit, aircraft division, and lake patrol.
Midweek, the cadets get to unwind with pizza and a trip to the local fun park, complete with go-carts and water slides. These activities are well received after the first strenuous days of the week and give the cadets time to get to know each other and the academy staff a little better.
At week’s end, the cadets take with them memories that serve them well. They arrive as strangers and depart as friends. They learn that law enforcement and criminal justice professionals are not only dedicated to their job but also to each other.
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