It's a pilot program two years in the making and starting tomorrow, it will officially be in session at the home of the titans.

Twenty 10th graders are the first to enroll in this three year career technical education pathway in criminal justice, designed in a partnership between Guam Police Department and Guam Department of Education.

GPD Chief Stephen Ignacio says recruitment challenges have made the need for early education clear not just in applicant numbers, but in readiness.

“For example, I’ve got a list of 33 applicants that are in the 15th cycle and of that 33 less than half made it. Only 15,” said Ignacio. 

And the idea for the program? Sparked by a letter the chief received from Hailey Brown, a Tennessee High School student who reached out to him while researching the nation’s police departments as part of her school’s criminal justice course.

“Not everybody is meant to be a doctor, a lawyer, or a teacher. Not everybody wants to be in a JROTC program so, we’re just providing another option for students to explore joining the Guam Police Department. It’s a very noble profession. It’s a very rewarding profession and we hope we can inspire these students,” added Ignacio. 

Tiyan High School Principal, Sophia Duenas, says its about embedding relevance into the curriculum

“They’ll be working with our English, math, science, and social studies teachers to make relevant content between the program to their core so that students will be more motivated to learn how to write or research,” said Duenas. 

Deputy Superintendent Joe Sanchez stresses the importance of building futures beyond the diploma.

“We recognize that graduation from high school is not enough. These students need to go beyond just test scores. They need to go beyond the diploma and start preparing for a job or post-secondary education,” said Sanchez. 

Tiyan’s criminal justice pathway follows Tennessee High School’s program, localized for Guam.

Captain Tim Santos is its instructor, covering everything from forensics and law to ethics and local case studies.

“They need to have ethics. They need to know what is right and wrong, and they need to know how to make good choices in their decision making. There are all these concepts in this course that build them up,” said Santos. 

The departments will collect data throughout the year and present their findings to the Guam Education Board. 

If the results meet the standard, the program can be expected to continue.

For now, this remains a pilot, but with the full pathway already mapped out, the goal is clear: Build real opportunity from classroom to career.