By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor
Klodian Cizmja had a good job working as a project underwriter for a wholesale mortgage lender, but there was just one problem – he was not fulfilling his dream.
The 39-year-old married father of a 1-1/2-year-old son decided it was time to take the final step to become a law enforcement officer. Cizmja graduated from Oakland Community College Police Academy on Dec. 7, 2023 with a 94.8 percent GPA. His tenacity earned him the Richard R. Weiler Scholarship Award.
“It’s all about drive and attitude when it comes to the police academy and Klodian had a great attitude and was always very driven during the academy,” said Oakland Police Academy Director David Ceci. “He worked hard, scored extremely high in all areas, and yet was extremely humble and had a great sense of humor. He is one of those individuals you know is going to go out into the law enforcement world and make a difference.”
The $500 Richard R. Weiler Scholarship Award is sponsored by the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC). It is awarded twice annually at the discretion of the police academy to graduating cadets who have not been sponsored by any police agency. To qualify, cadets must pass the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement (MCOLES) certification test and meet MCOLES employment standards for certified Michigan Law Enforcement Officers.
In 2013, Cizmja obtained his bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a focus in Criminal Justice from Oakland University. “They didn’t have a major in Criminal Justice when I went to college,” he said. “I studied Sociology because I wanted to go into law enforcement. My minor was in General Studies, but my coursework was in Criminal Justice.”
Paying to attend police academy at that time was too costly for Cizmja. “I always wanted to be a police officer,” he said. “Life kind of got in the way. I didn’t have the means and time to go to police academy.”
A decade later he knew he had to quit his job and pursue law enforcement to feel fulfilled in his career. “I used to underwrite the HOA (Homeowners Associations) when we had condos coming in for loans. This is not what I want to do,” he said. “I want to do something that I’ve always wanted to do – I want to be a police officer.”
Despite the financial challenge, Cizmja’s wife, Jordan encouraged him to finish what he started so he could have a job he truly enjoyed while their child was growing up. Her father, Robert Patterson, was a U.S. Army Military Police Officer “back in the day,” Cizmja said, adding Jordan told him, “‘This is what you always wanted to do, so this is what you need to do.’”
“I actually put myself through the academy – I paid for it. Having that award will really help me and my family to get back on our feet after using most of our savings for me to go the academy,” Cizmja said.
Cizmja was one of 17 non-sponsored cadets in the graduating class of 62. He was hired as an Oak Park Department of Public Safety Police Officer, beginning his law enforcement career Dec. 11, 2023.
“Almost all of us got hired,” he said. “Only two were left to be hired by the end of the academy. This academy was one of the best choices I ever made! It was by the will of God that I ended up going here. The instructors are phenomenal. The Director is one of the greatest men I have ever met. They are very helpful people, always there for us.”
Cizmja also received the $500 Davis/Sawyers Memorial Endowed Scholarship in honor of Mark Anthony Sawyers, a Sterling Heights Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty June 5, 2004, and Officer Gary Cooper Davis, a Bloomfield Township Police Officer (EOW May 13, 2004).
