Waukesha County Technical College recently issued the following announcement.
Meet Josh and Kalan Belfiori, identical twins who share both DNA and career paths. "They are so identical, our instructors couldn’t tell them apart," laughed Jodi Crozier, associate dean and director of WCTC’s Law Enforcement Academy. "Thank goodness we have first names on their shirts!"
The brothers were inspired by two of their cousins who have built strong careers in law enforcement. "We had a family influence, and we wanted to be the change we wanted to see," Josh said. After high school, both started working as police aides at Menomonee Falls Police Department, gaining valuable exposure to the field. "From talking with the cops that we worked with, we heard a lot of good things about the Criminal Justice program at WCTC – that it was one of the best in the state, and definitely the best in southeastern Wisconsin," said Josh.
In 2018, the Belfiori brothers became WCTC students and began working toward their associate degrees in Criminal Justice Studies. They attributed their success in the program to their instructors’ willingness to help. "If you were falling behind or struggling, they would offer to help people one on one, to stay after class or come before, just help you out with whatever you needed," said Kalan.
Putting Knowledge and Skills to Use
Shortly after graduating in June 2020, they were ready to dive into the Law Enforcement Academy, putting all the knowledge and skills they had been learning to work in realistic training scenarios. "The instructors did such a good job preparing us. They made the situations out there fun by throwing a wrench in it or doing something you didn’t expect," said Kalan. "We got split up into different groups each day, so you got to bond with different people who you may not have normally sat next to or gotten to talk with."
Both brothers received conditional offers from the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department in March 2021 and were sworn in as deputies that May. While working together after graduating wasn’t a necessity, they were excited to take on another new opportunity with each other’s support. Although they typically work in separate parts of the county to avoid confusion, the two have taken a few calls together. "It’s great because we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses," Kalan said.
Of their cohort, eight recruits were offered positions within Waukesha County. "We’re all really close with each other still," said Josh. "Those connections are a really important part of the Academy."
Careers Close to Home
As Germantown natives, Josh and Kalan are starting their careers serving the community close to home. "We knew we wanted to apply in this area because we’re from here, we know the area and we like it here," said Josh. "The county’s a good spot to land because it’s so big," added Kalan. "Lots of different opportunities with specialty units. You could work one day in a country area and the next in a city. Waukesha County is extremely good for that."
Looking ahead, the brothers are keeping an open mind while completing their probation period at the County. "With being so new, we haven’t closed any doors yet," said Josh. "I’m looking forward to testing out different specialties, talking with deputies who are on different teams, just talking with different people and putting feelers out there." For now, they are enjoying patrol and putting the skills they learned at WCTC to work.
"I love that there’s always something new to learn," said Josh. Kalan chimed in with a perfectly timed "Ditto!"
FROM WCTC IMPACT, FALL 2021 EDITION
Original source can be found here.
Source: Waukesha County Technical College
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