This Fresno City College student opted not to waste time standing in the unemployment line after losing his job. Manuel Ramirez has had a life-long dream and he is finally making it happen by stepping into the line of duty. He is currently enrolled in FCC’s police academy.

“Police work is something I’ve always wanted to do,” stated the Dos Palos native. He said being a cop is more than a macho thing. He would often see incidents on the road while on his way to work and wished he was in a patrol car so he could stop and help.

FCC’s police academy is broken up into academic courses, physical training and police techniques. The curriculum covers over 42 topical areas that include criminal law, investigations, patrol and juvenile procedures, vehicle operations, traffic, emergency management, first aid, professionalism and ethics and physical training.

“Once you come through our academy, you can become a police officer or sheriff deputy anywhere in the state of California,” stated FCC Academy Recruit Training Officer Jesse Herring. “There’s 41 police academies in California, about half are agency specific where they’re run by their own departments.”

FCC’s academy is unique because it has a staff of instructors from the Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, the District Attorney’s Office and the Kingsburg Police Department. “We bring a variety of experience,” Herring stated.

The academy is not agency specific, so the diverse training will better prepare Ramirez for the challenges soon to come because it is not all about car chases and lights and sirens. Police officers are faced with a multitude of problems and are not normally called when someone is having a good day. “If you really want to be an officer, you truly have to have it in your heart to really want to help people,” Ramirez said. “When I go to a call and leave that place, if I made a difference, that’s satisfaction right there.”

As a police officer, Ramirez could spend a day taking reports of crimes, counseling a runaway teen, arresting a wanted person or helping an elderly or lost person. He said he looks forward to the daily challenges helping people and assisting them in times of crisis.

In high school, Ramirez was always on the right side of the law by staying away from the drug scene. He witnessed first-hand the damage drugs caused young kids and the terrible effect it had on their families. “I never wanted to be expose to that,” he said.

Ramirez wants to focus on youths and domestic violence. He wants to help young kids avoid becoming a victim and/or offender. “You’re out there trying to make a difference,” he said. “I’m not part of the problem, I’m part of the solution and the main thing is treating people with respect.”

Herring said Ramirez brings a lot of positive things to the program. “He’s just a really good guy,” he said.

The dream of becoming a police officer was cemented during a high school Career Day presentation when a California Highway Patrol officer’s presentation caught his attention. “That’s what really started the spark,” he said. “And from there on, I started the testing process.”

However, soon after graduating in 1992, Ramirez began working for De Francesco and Sons located in Firebaugh. The steady income became a higher priority when he married his high school sweet heart and had his first son in 1993. Ramirez put his dream of becoming a police officer on the back burner. “It [police career] was always there,” he said.

Ramirez started moving up the chain of command at the processing plant. His strong leadership skills helped him move up to shipping supervisor. “I felt comfortable there,” he said.

During 13 years at the company, Ramirez believed it was going to be around for a long time because the company had prospered for more than 35-years. He was committed to remain grounded at the company until the day he retired. “But it didn’t happen,” he said. “Due to export Chinese products coming in and high gas prices, the company couldn’t compete with competitors and shut down.”

Instead of taking his loss as a negative, Ramirez took this time to follow a new career path in law enforcement and there will certainly be no routine in his job of choice. He is also well aware of his future occupational hazards. “When I put this vest on, I’m telling myself I’m going to do everything I possibly can to come home,” Ramirez said. “Every call is not the same and something can happen that could end your life, officer safety is always first.”

Herring said the academy currently has 55 cadets. Individuals interested in the program can start as early as 18-years-old but you have to be 21-years-old to be an officer. Herring said the program has no age limit beyond that requirement and 33-year-old Ramirez is actually an asset to the program. “A person like Ramirez will become a better officer because he’s got life experience and can relate in situations,” he said. “We actually have several cadets in their 40’s here, we’ve had them up into the early 50’s.”

“Currently there are 8,500 openings in California in law enforcement and our police academy system can only put out 5,000 a year,” Herring stated. “So we’re going to be playing catch-up for quite a while.”

After completing the program, Herring said about 90% of the students actually obtain jobs right out of the FCC academy. “We typically get 45 to 55 departments coming to recruit here,” Herring said. “Any where from San Diego to Ukiah.”

“They’re very happy with the students that come out of here,” he added. “So they keep coming.”

Herring said the overall cost of the intense six-month program is $3,000 to $3,5000 which includes tuition, books, uniforms, gear, gun, ammo and physical training clothes.

Ramirez has applied to a lot of law enforcement agencies, but has not yet been picked up by any department. “I would like to work in a bigger community where I can get exposure and get more experience out in the streets,” he said.

Ramirez is due to graduate from the academy December 7th. When he is not concentrating on his new career path, he also volunteers as a firefighter and coaches football and wrestling to kids five to 12-years of age.

He now has four children and has already discovered how to balance family life and police work. “Work is work and you leave it at work,” he said. “It’s not the time you spend with your kids, it’s the quality that counts.”