Pathways to Justice Careers: AZDPS Participates in Program to Educate Youth

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS), the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and the Phoenix Police Department (PPD) collaborated on a program, which was developed out of the Friendly House, a nonprofit community service organization. The program these departments participate in is called Pathways to Justice Careers, which is part of a $1 million grant awarded to Friendly House from the Department of Labor (DOL).

The Friendly House utilizes funds from the DOL grant to provide local youth with workforce development and education services in the justice career fields, specifically, 16-21 year-olds who are seeking direction in the future while facing tough challenges in their lives outside of education. The young men and women in this program are seeking potential careers as a first responder, legal professional, criminal justice worker, and many similar careers. 

The participation from AZDPS, MCSO and PPD allows the students to be exposed to different styles of law enforcement: municipal policing, rural policing, state policing and housing of inmates. The curriculum was developed by each agency. Friendly House will sponsor between 30-40 students through three different three-week long training academies.