Dublin has a new pair of officers going through field training who will be on the streets later this summer thanks to the Cadet program.
Under the cadet program, the department pays for the academy fees and training of an interested officer in exchange for an assurance that the officer will stay with the department for at least 36 months after completing the academy and 16 weeks of training.
On Wednesday, May 25, Dublin PD swore in its first cadets to the department after Kristi Bonilla and Jacob Carpenter cadets graduated the law enforcement academy and passed the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement certification exam.
Dublin Police Chief Cameron Ray said he is already proud of the achievements of his new officers.
He reported on the cadets’ commitment to the program, saying: “Over the past 20 weeks, those two cadets have traveled 184 miles per day to and from the police academy, logged over 800 hours of classroom training, taken part in over 100 hours of physical fitness time, spent countless hours studying, missed many family events and taken at least 20 exams to successfully complete the law enforcement academy.”
The cadets also spoke positively of the experience, saying they felt like they got a well-rounded education at the academy with different teachers specializing in each topic from firearms to driving with closed course pursuit drills.
“I think they bring a lot of experience and they will do us well,” said Ray of both of the new officers. “I think they proved this program can be successful and look forward to continuing it in the future.”
Bonilla and Carpenter said the experience was a good fit for them, but advised any future candidate to make sure it’s something they want to do because it takes a lot of personal time through training and studying.
Both officers knew going into the program that they wanted to be involved in law enforcement and that Dublin was a good fit.
Bonilla had come to like the Dublin PD during her two years working for Erath County Sheriff’s Office in the jail. She noted that Dublin PD and the county have a really good relationship and enjoyed working with Dublin officers when they had business at the jail. She stated that she wanted to go into law enforcement from a young age and had a lot of family members who served.
Carpenter reported that he liked small towns and read about the cadet program while working with the Erath County road crew. Carpenter had always liked the idea of law enforcement as well, admiring the service of his uncle as a deputy sheriff. He is a former Navy officer, retiring at the rank of Chief E7. He is married with four children.
Ray said he would “like to thank the cadets for their dedication and determination as well as the Dublin City Council and City Administration for believing in this program and authorizing it.”
Carpenter and Bonilla stated their gratitude to the city and department, saying they are glad to fulfill their part of the deal with years of service.