Connor Volomering, a junior at Martin High School, said he knew he wanted to be a police officer at a very young age.

"I've always loved helping people, and I want to be there to help make bad situations better," he said.

The Hometown Recruiting Program, the result of a partnership between the Arlington Police Department, Arlington ISD and UT Arlington, will help high school students like Volomering pursue a degree in law enforcement.

The program will allow high school juniors and seniors to earn college credit through UTA, and to enroll in early police training to gain an advantage over competition.

"Those tangible steps that we take as entities, as partners, to make sure that students realize their dream-that a dream goes beyond a dream and is realized-is our task and our responsibility," AISD Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos said during a press conference March 5.

Police Chief Will Johnson said the department receives such a large number employment requests that many applicants do not get the chance to interview for a position.

Upon completing their bachelor's degrees, students will receive preferred application status and an automatic job interview when applying with APD.

"We're going to make every effort to get them hired," Johnson said during the press conference. "We want to draw from the talent and the youth of our own community."

The Hometown Recruiting Program will be the second initiative announced during the 2013-2014 school year through the partnership between UTA and AISD. The first, Bound for Success, provides early admittance to area high school students that are in the top 20 percent of their class by their sophomore year.