The Comal County Sheriff’s Office is looking to hire 59 corrections officers in the next seven months, and it has chosen to recruit Comal ISD high school students for some of those positions.
High School students who are 18-years-old or soon to be 18 are eligible to apply for the positions which are available due to the county’s growth and the expansion of the Comal County Jail which will replace the existing facility.
Corrections officers visited students enrolled in criminal justice classes at Canyon High, Canyon Lake High and Smithson Valley High in April to explain what a career in law enforcement entails and how they can actually get started sooner rather than later.
“The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement allows for Corrections Officers and Communications Officers to be licensed at 18 years of age,” says Comal County Sheriff Mark Reynolds. “Since we have a great working relationship with the Comal Independent School District, it seemed like a good idea to recruit young people who may have a desire to go into law enforcement at an early age. This is an effort to extend an opportunity to our young people to find a career, open the door for future possibilities and keep them local.”
While visiting a criminal justice class at SVHS, Corrections Captain Gregg Reese, Lisa Jones and Daniel Ruiz shared their own stories about how they became involved in law enforcement. Captain Reese, who retired from the United States Air Force after 28 years of service, wanted to continue to serve his community and chose law enforcement as a way to do that; Jones, who has been in law enforcement for 15 years, became interested when she was looking for a career that offered a good retirement plan; and Ruiz, who has a degree in education and a teaching certificate, took a job at the jail as he waited for a teaching job to open up and stayed because he enjoyed it.
As the second fastest growing county in the nation, Comal has great job potential for experienced and unexperienced alike, and law enforcement is just one more avenue to pursue career and job opportunities for area students.
The District continues to work to provide students with a variety of career and technology pathways which they can pursue upon graduating from high school. Building community partnerships like the one established with the Comal County Sheriff’s Office is just one testament to the commitment the District has to fulfilling every student’s future goals.
Photos
- Corrections Captain Gregg Reese speaks with Canyon Lake High School students about possible job opportunities.
- Corrections Captain Gregg Reese, Lisa Jones and Daniel Ruiz visited Smithson Valley High School's law enforcement classes April 15.