California Guardsman finds opportunity with Department of Corrections

Photo By Maj. Jason Sweeney | Cadets at the the Richard A. McGee Correctional Training Center in Galt, Calif., train to become correctional officers in December. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is undergoing a hiring push and veterans are at the top of the list for jobs.  

GALT, CA, UNITED STATES

01.29.2015

Story by Capt. Jason Sweeney 

California National Guard Primary   

GALT, Calif. - The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is going through a big hiring push right now, and California National Guard members are at the top of the list when it comes to who is selected to attend the department’s training academy.

California’s department of corrections is one of the largest state government departments in the nation, overseeing 35 facilities and more than 160,000 inmates and parolees.

Assistant Chief of Peace Officer Appointments Steve Stone, who is a veteran of the California National Guard, said Cal Guard members are just the kind of people the department is looking for.

“We recognize the value of citizen Soldiers, and we are very supportive of their annual training requirements and their drill weekend requirements,” Stone said. “Soldiers have been trained to rely on their training in a crisis and will do as they’re trained. That makes them, for us, better than the average guy off the street who doesn’t have that background to fall back on.”

Jose Gonzalez, 22, a specialist with the California Army National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, is one of the newest correctional officers at California’s corrections department. He graduated from the corrections academy in December and soon after reported to his first assignment at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton where patient-inmates receive health care.

Gonzalez said his experience in the Army National Guard prepared him for the 16 weeks of academy training at the Richard A. McGee Correctional Training Center in Galt, California.

“It’s been good training,” Gonzalez said. “When you come here, you already have a one-up on some people who don’t have military experience when it comes to marching, formations, or when it comes to having just a little discipline to sit in class through hours of PowerPoint presentations.”

Gonzalez explained that the corrections academy was similar to attending Army Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training. He said the corrections academy is a little more academic, but the structure is familiar and there is a similar feeling of camaraderie with fellow cadets as with fellow Soldiers.

“I feel that coming into corrections, for me, has been like basically doing the military on the civilian side, just with a different uniform,” he said.

For Gonzalez, his new civilian job is ideal. The pay and benefits are good. He has job security and he gets to work in his hometown, where he also drills as an aviation operations specialist with the 3-140th.

One perk for veterans is that they can collect the GI Bill on top of earning a salary while at the academy. With academy life over, Gonzalez is now earning a base pay of $3,990 a month, plus benefits.

Gonzalez said he got help securing his slot at the academy from California National Guard 1st Lt. Matthew Haygood, whom he deployed to Kosovo with. After the deployment, Haygood was hired on with the California National Guard’s Work for Warriors program which is tasked to help military members find jobs.

Gonzalez had already been interested in working as a correctional officer when Haygood told him that there were job opportunities at the corrections department.

About a year ago, the department began seeking applicants to fill 7,000 projected openings.

“My generation is retiring,” said California Department of Corrections Lt. James Fox, who is also a Cal Guard veteran. Fox said a new generation is needed to fill all the openings as his cohort moves on.

Recruits must be 21 by the time they graduate. There is no upper age limit on entering the academy. When cadets graduate, they are assigned to one of the department’s facilities that are located throughout the state.

The appointment process to make it into the academy can take anywhere from nine to 12 months. Gonzalez called the process a waiting game that pays off for those willing to stick it out.

First Lt. (CA) Chris Mitchell, who works for the Work for Warriors program, said his office has the manpower and contacts to help guide Cal Guard members and other veterans through the process of applying and qualifying for an appointment at the corrections academy in Galt.

Guard members and other veterans interested in becoming correctional officers, or in finding other employment, should call Work for Warriors at 916-854-4426; or email [e-mail].

As of December 2014, Work for Warriors assisted more than 3,500 Cal Guardsmen, reservists and recently separated veterans find employment at various businesses and agencies at no cost to applicants or business partners.

• Date Taken: 01.29.2015
• Date Posted: 01.29.2015 14:34
• Story ID: 153047
• Location: GALT, CA, US