MISSION COLLEGE : Police Education Courses Proposed

Mission College in Sylmar has proposed a program aimed at increasing the promotional opportunities of minorities and women in the Los Angeles Police Department.

Mission officials have offered to teach courses--either on campus or at Police Department facilities--that would help minority and female officers gain the additional education they need to be considered for higher posts.

A tentative proposal to teach the courses was made to the Police Department recently by the college’s Business and Professional Center. No agreement has yet been reached between the two parties, who started meeting last fall.

“This is the result of an article we read in The Times about how the LAPD was concerned about internal training and promotion of minorities and women into the level of sergeants and detectives,” said Penny Young, center director.

Young said the center would set up curriculum and provide teachers to allow the targeted Police Department employees to increase their education.

Richard O. Gonzales, commanding officer of the Police Department’s employee opportunity development division, has been involved in the talks with Mission. He said the department is interested in seeking ways “to enhance the education of all employees and to enhance the opportunity for all employees, including minorities.”

In particular, Gonzales said, the department is “looking at maybe getting involved in some specialized courses--maybe supervision classes” that could be coordinated with Mission for college credit.

Mission was expected to analyze the Police Department’s curriculum to determine which college credits would be acceptable. Gonzales added that other institutions have provided contract education to the Police Department in the past.