DOWAGIAC — People interested in learning more about what it takes to don the proud blue uniforms of the Michigan State Police Department will have the perfect opportunity to do so later this month.

Representatives with the agency will host a one-day recruiting seminar from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 30, inside Southwestern Michigan College’s Charles O. Zollar Building, 58900 Cherry Grove Road, Dowagiac. People interested in attending the session are asked to arrive by 9:45 a.m., and are asked to dress in business casual attire.

During the two-hour long session, recruiters with the state police department will walk attendees through the process of applying to the law enforcement agency, on what the minimum requirements are to join, some information on the state police training academy and what career opportunities are available to those who join.

“We will also have officers on hand who will be able to answer questions from the attendees, to perhaps quell some of the anxieties they have about applying,” said Kellie Shaffer, a recruiter with the department who will lead the Sept. 30 session.

The guest speakers will also share their own stories about joining the Michigan State Police Department, including what made them want to join and how many years it took them to get to where they are now, Shaffer said.

This is the first such training seminar that Shaffer has led at Southwestern Michigan College, although she has participated in previous career fairs at the Dowagiac community college, she said. The department is interested in catching the attention of college students, in particular student athletes, whose years of experience working with teams and keeping themselves in good physical shape make them natural candidates for the job, Shaffer said.

However, the department is interested in reaching out to anyone interested in joining the department through the Sept. 30 event, even residents living in Indiana, she said.

One of the purposes of the seminar is to dispel some myths about the Michigan State Police Department, in particular that it is a career out of reach for most people, Shaffer said.

“When people think of the state police, they think it is some unobtainable rank, that they need some special skillset in order to apply,” Shaffer said. “However, that is not the case.”

To reserve a spot in the seminar, people are asked to RVSP by emailing Shaffer at shafferk@michigan.gov.

“All we ask is that people come with an open mind and with any questions we might be able answer,” she said.