![Experience, expertise, and passion: Bakersfield Police Department offers a chance to a second career](https://behindthebadge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Barakat-702x468.jpg)
Experience, expertise, and passion: Bakersfield Police Department offers a chance to a second career
0Samah Barakat celebrated her 40th birthday in the most unforgettable way – fulfilling her dream of becoming a police officer as a recruit in the Bakersfield Police Academy. On that day there weren’t any banners or black helium balloons that read “Over the Hill.” If anything, having a milestone birthday while in the middle of accomplishing a dream made her feel anything was possible, no matter how many candles were on her birthday cake. “I’ve wanted to be a police officer all of my life. I used to watch American television shows when I was a kid and I thought…
![SAPD recruits get a preview of Sheriff’s Academy](https://behindthebadge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SAPD.ACADEMY_01-351x185.jpg)
Six new recruits for the Santa Ana Police Department begin a 24-week ordeal starting with what’s known as “Black Monday”…
![Santa Ana police make their pitch at Cal State Long Beach](https://behindthebadge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-20-at-4.03.05-PM-351x185.png)
On a recent weekday afternoon, a group of 16 students from the Cal State Long Beach Criminal Justice Student Association…
![Coffee with a Cop leads Westminster man to law enforcement career](https://behindthebadge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/IMG_5899-351x185.jpg)
When Luis Arango came to work as an aide in the Westminster Police Department, law enforcement was battling a terrible…
![SAPD’s Open House and Hiring Expo welcomes hundreds](https://behindthebadge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/SPD-OpenHouse-042223-JA-06-351x185.jpg)
For Miguel Zamora, Santa Ana Police Department’s Open House and Hiring Expo was the perfect opportunity to explore his dream…