Two criminal justice students at Indiana University East are also working with the Campus Police Department. It’s part of a new program for students interested in law enforcement.

IU East Campus Police Chief Burt Cole said that the program enables the students to be certified Indiana police officers when they complete the Indiana University Police Department Basic Academy.

IU East is offering the program for the first time, along with IU Kokomo and IU Southeast.

There are two cadets in the program, Sergio Santiago of Richmond and Nikolas Natali of Somerville, Ohio.

They attend classes full time and work with the campus police department as cadets 15-20 hours a week.

“They are both doing very well,” said Cole. “They are learning the ropes and working with police officers to learn security details.”

The two juniors are continuing to get ready for the academy, which will be at Bloomington in May.

Upon successful completion, they will return to IU East as full-fledged police officers. They will then work with the IUPD as regular officers until their graduation.