Eleven members of Winona State University’s Peace Officer Student Training club saw the not-so-glamorous side of Los Angeles when they partnered with the Los Angeles Police Department two weeks ago.

The club has been setting up partnerships with various police departments around the U.S. in an attempt to give students hands-on learning and contact with possible employers.

Students also got to work with the LAPD’s Compare Statistics program that can calculate crime data the day after a crime happens, give graphic information and help departments work on their management techniques.

Club advisor James Kobolt said students voted to go to Los Angeles because they wanted to look at a larger market. In the past, the club has gone to Denver and Baltimore.

“There aren’t a lot of jobs for our students in Minnesota because crime isn’t running rampant,” Kobolt said.

Koblolt said the LAPD would like to hire 3,500 more officers and a few Winona State students would like to take advantage of this opportunity.

Winona State is the university to work with the LAPD, Kobolt said.

“The club is a great service. Because we help pave the way for criminal justice students to find their first job site,” he said.

“Police Chief William Bratton thinks that hiring more officers could bring Los Angeles’ crime rate down 50 percent,” Kobolt said.

Criminal Justice senior Stacy Baye said, “There was so much culture in Los Angeles.

“One street would have homeless people and the next would have higher-class people.”

Not only did the students see homeless individuals on the streets, but they also saw prostitutes.

Baye said that during her “ride-along” the undercover police sergeant pulled over and talked to a transvestite prostitute.

Baye said the police did not arrest the prostitute.

“There were 50 gay male prostitutes –– called bun boys by the LAPD –– on the streets,” Baye said.

“I wouldn’t have known they were prostitutes if the sergeant wouldn’t have told us.  They dress like most men.”

Baye witnessed her first pursuit while riding with the seargeant.

“It was like a movie scene,” Baye said. “There were 10 police cars with their doors wide open, ready to arrest a man on crack.”

“That’s just something we wouldn’t get to experience if we did a ride-along in Winona,” she said.

Criminal Justice senior Nate Fix has done ride-alongs in both the big city and rural areas.

He did an internship in Sibley County, where there is only 14,000 people.

Fix said he had a negative image of Los Angeles before going on the trip and was surprised that he enjoyed the big city atmosphere.

“The sergeant that I rode with said it was a quiet night for Los Angeles,” Fix said.

“There was a lot more action than any department in Minnesota has ever had.”

Fix said that before the trip he thought he wanted to work in a small town, but now that he has seen the extreme opposite he was convinced otherwise.

 “I want to be kept busy,” Fix said. “In Los Angeles, I had an adrenaline rush the entire time.”

Fix rode with a sergeant in the gang unit.

“When we were almost back to our station, we got a call about a high-speed pursuit,” Fix said. “Suddenly, we saw a car with no tires driving on its rims, sparks flying everywhere and a chopper overhead.”

Fix said the police were careful not to put civilians in harms way while they chased the car.

About the police officers, Fix said, “You can see how they have to drive and control traffic when there’s a pursuit.”

“It was like watching a well-oiled machine,” Fix said. “The officers work very well together.”

Fix said the stereotype given to the LAPD in movies was erased once he got to know the police officers.

“They are very organized and professional,” he said.

The students took a basic English skills and essay test on their way to Los Angeles.

Fix and Baye were unsure if they passed the test at press time.

Students who passed will be invited to go back to Los Angeles for a physical test, Kobolt said.

The club is planning a trip to Kansas City during spring semester.

Fix said he plans to also look at the departments in Las Vegas and Kansas City.