Curtice resident Amber Anderson – all 5-foot-3 inches of her – was working in home health care with the Volunteers of America before she enrolled in Owens Community College's seven-month Ohio Basic Peace Officer Training Academy course.

“I was always told I would never make it as a police officer because I was a woman,” Anderson said. “It's a very male-dominated field, so it's very intimidating already. But, if you're not happy with what you're going to do for a living, you're going to be miserable all your life. I believe in everything a police officer stands for.”

Anderson, a 2005 Clay graduate, was one of 27 students from Owens' Toledo and Findlay campuses who were recognized as Ohio Basic Peace Officer Training Academy graduates during a ceremony held July 27 at the college's Center for Fine and Performing Arts.

Amber Anderson, Curtice, and fellow students were recognizes as Ohio Basic Peace Officer Training Academy graduates. (Photo courtesy of Owens Community College)

Owens established its Ohio Basic Peace Officer Training Academy (OBPOTA) course, which is open to the public, in 1970.

As part of the program, students take courses in patrol operations, firearms, defensive tactics and criminal investigation using modern high-tech police equipment. Participants receive expert instruction from local police officers, sheriff’s deputies and corrections officers, as well as state and federal agents.

“You get 21 credits toward an associates degree,” said Anderson, 24. “I went back for a bachelor's degree at Tiffin (University) in Criminal Justice. I have a little over a year left and then I will have my bachelor's.”

Being a full-time police officer, Anderson said, “is my ultimate goal.”

“Everyone has their calling,” she said. “It's kind of hard to put into words, but you know you want to go into something. I originally wanted to go into nursing, but now I know I'm not cut out for anything else. I realized nursing wasn't for me.

“I always wanted to be a police officer, but people always said, 'You're a woman, you're small and people aren't going to take you seriously,' so I went away from it. Then I said, 'I'm just going to follow my dream' and that's why I enrolled myself in that program. I truly just want to make a difference.”

Anderson, whose aunt recently retired from the Toledo Police Department, attended Owens' OBPOTA course five days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Following successful completion of Owens' OBPOTA course, graduates become eligible for certification as an Ohio peace officer.

Coursework earned by police academy graduates will apply toward an associates degree at Owens in law enforcement.

“My family is all guys and they're like, 'You're not going to get far. Go to school to be a nurse,' ” Anderson said. “I said, 'I'm tired of being bossed around by you guys.' ”

She said her favorite part of the seven-month course was learning to shoot various firearms.

“It was an amazing experience,” Anderson said. “I've never shot a gun before; I had never even touched a gun before this course. It takes a lot of practice. Every day, you learned something new.”

Anderson said taking Owens' course gave her a greater appreciation for what peace officers deal with on a daily basis.

“You never know what goes on behind the scenes, the good that they do,” she said. “Everybody had a huge impact on the way I look at life now - the public, the people I encounter every day. It was a great experience and they were all great instructors. I want to be on road patrol for as long as I can.”

Larry Cover, 29, a 2001 graduate of Oak Harbor High School who works at Davis Besse, said he enrolled in Owens' OBPOTA course to look into a career change.

“I'm trying to get into the security guard department there at Davis Besse,” Cover said. “Once I got into it and saw what policing consisted of, I really got interested in it. My cousin, Rodney Bigert, is a police officer in Carroll Township. I'm not sure what I want to do right now. I want to take a break and see where this is going to go for me. I'm still waiting to get on Davis Besse's security force.”

Cover said two parts of the OBPOTA course stood out for him.

“The firearms part was probably the best thing about it, and the driving part,” he said. “They took us through different obstacles for the driving courses. They put you through different tests. It was fun to go out there and romp on the cars.”

Local law enforcement agencies where Owens graduates have been employed include the Findlay Police Department, Fostoria Police Department, Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, Henry County Sheriff’s Department, Lucas County Sheriff’s Department, Maumee Police Department, Northwood Police Department, Perrysburg City Police Department, Perrysburg Township Police Department, Sylvania City Police Department, Sylvania Township Police Department, Toledo Police Department and the Wood County Sheriff’s Department.

Other area residents who completed the OBPOTA course included Kyle Andrews, Charles Lightner, Andrew Mawer, Michael Oehlers, Steven Wilson, Antonio Aguilar, David Kensler, Zachary Lamour and Kurt Schroeder of Toledo, Alexander Espinoza of Genoa and Donald Kreager of Woodville.

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