TORRANCE, Calif. – After the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others, people are calling into question and demanding change from law enforcement. Despite, the ongoing tensions between anti-police brutality protesters and law enforcement policies, more than 30 cadets in El Camino College’s freshman police academy like Trent Scott II, are hopeful that they will one day make a difference in uniform. 

“I’m really discouraged you know seeing everything that’s going on, that’s happening not only from the people but also from the police as well,” Scott said.

But that’s not stopping Scott from pursuing a career in law enforcement. 

“Maybe 95 percent of people, you know, would say you know becoming a cop right now is the worst thing ever but honestly I don’t really look at it like that,” Scott said.

That’s because, Scott views his future career as an opportunity to create change. And, he’s not alone. This semester, Scott’s freshman class is completely full and even a saw waitlist for enrollment, despite, the current climate. Sterling Kim is one of Scott’s instructors and has more than 18 years of experience as a police officer. Seeing a full class during this time, reminds Kim why he became a police officer all those years ago.

“We don’t want people to stand back and say, ‘that’s not something I want to be a part of’ or ‘I’m stepping away from that and I’m going to avoid them.’ If we do that, then we’re never going to get change. If you think you have a mindset that you think can affect change? Then we need you,” Kim said.

Throughout this course, Scott and the other cadets will learn leadership skills, community policing, and ethics before learning about any tactics. During that process, cadets have conversations about systemic racism, sexism and other issues they might come across in the field. 

Kim shared that it’s important to have those conversations in the classroom, so that when they are out in the field, they can start their career with a mindset of understanding. For Scott, it’s an opportunity to take a step in the right direction.

“I feel like change is always necessary to have but it just depends if you’re willing to change. And if you’re willing to stand on the front line and make a change yourself,” Scott said.

While Scott and the other cadets have more training ahead of them, together they are determined to be the next generation of policing.