Law Enforcement Career Path Academy (LECPA) 

The Saint Paul Police Department’s (SPPD) Law Enforcement Career Path Academy (LECPA) is for young adults who are interested in becoming Saint Paul Police Officers but face financial and/or other barriers to attending college and finding employment. SPPD, working in partnership with Century College, have developed a comprehensive program that gives participants an opportunity to earn an associate’s degree with a goal of becoming SPPD Officers. Community Engagement Cadets in the LECPA program will attend college and support the department’s community engagement efforts as they work on a pathway into a successful career in Law Enforcement.

Cadets participate in community-based mentoring, youth programming, community service, and community engagement events to strengthen the ties between police and the community while providing at-risk youth with role models, pro-social activities, and beneficial influences that foster positive youth development. Additionally, the program prepares young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds for careers in law enforcement, helping to make city law-enforcement more representative of the communities served. Twenty-five former cadets graduated from the SPPD academy.  The LECPA program has helped diversify the ranks of the SPPD – at the end of 2022, 31% of officers are BIPOC, compared to 23% six years earlier.