West-MEC hosts law and public safety scenario day

Students enrolled in the Central Campus Law and Public Safety Program at Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) – a public career technical education district – took part in a recent ‘Scenario Day’ on campus.

Fellow students and community members helped simulate realistic crime situations for West-MEC students to safely train on how to handle confrontations and scenarios they might encounter in a future job.

The Law and Public Safety Program explores the basic skills used in patrol functions, defensive tactics, use of force, and first aid. The trainees applied their knowledge of constitutional law, forensic science, first aid / CPR, and more during the sessions.

Examples of the types of scenarios ranged from a woman exhibiting signs of public intoxication, to an active-shooter in a warehouse on campus.

Markayla Slone, a senior in the Law and Public Safety Program, said it was this type of practical experience that led her to enroll in the program.

“West-MEC and this program has really grown me as a person. I like the hands-on training and how we learn real-world lessons and how it applies to a career in the future,” she said.

The overall goal of the Law and Public Safety Program, like that of all the career training programs at West-MEC, is to prepare graduates with the skills needed to obtain and succeed in an entry-level position upon completion of the program.

Instructor Katherine McClellan said she believes scenario days and other activities, combined with in-depth classwork at West-MEC, do just that.

“I came straight out of industry and I liked that this program at West-MEC funneled good talent to the industry right out of graduation. That’s what my experience has been since I started,” she said.