Following the path to a career goal

"I came into this program very timid and not really knowing what to expect. But it was an incredible experience.”

Maritza Deloera’s path to becoming an Oklahoma City police officer included many steps.

But few were bigger than the Francis Tuttle Technology Center Criminal Justice program. It’s where she began to see herself as a leader, connected to the law enforcement career pipeline, and saw her dream of becoming a police officer turn into reality.

“What you put into this program is what you’ll get out of it,” Deloera said. “Come in with a positive attitude, and be ready to learn and invest in yourself. I came into this program very timid and not really knowing what to expect. But it was an incredible experience.”

The Criminal Justice program provides students with hands-on training in law enforcement. Classroom instruction supports active and engaging lessons using staged and simulated real-world experiences, such as traffic stops, field testing, virtual active shooter scenarios, and crime scene investigation.

Program instructors coordinate with local law enforcement to make sure training prepares students for the real world. Johnnie Loudermilk, who was Deloera’s instructor at the Reno Campus, works closely with the Oklahoma City Police Department, and this relationship maintains a pipeline that guides students from the classroom to successful jobs.

“Mr. Loudermilk saw my journey beyond the completion of this program,” Deloera said. “He was pivotal in my growth in this program. He saw where my weaknesses were, and he intentionally gave me challenges that I had to overcome.”

In 2017, Deloera joined the Cadet Lawman Academy, an OKCPD program for incoming high school seniors. It provides students with a firsthand look at what it takes to be a police officer.

Loudermilk then sponsored Deloera in her successful application for the Presidential Leadership Council Scholarship to the University of Central Oklahoma. She graduated in 2021 with a degree in criminal justice and then entered the police academy.

“Without that scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to go to college,” Deloera said.

Deloera said the structure of the program and her path to OKCPD gave her confidence. 

“You have to be disciplined in how you think and with what you do, no matter the age,” she daid. “The mindset you have now is going to help you later in this career. It keeps you in line with wanting to become a police officer. It pushed me to be more comfortable with leading."