The Santa Ana College Criminal Justice Department has been in existence since the late 1960s, and has educated tens of thousands of students interested in the professions of law enforcement, probation, corrections, criminal courts, and private security.  Many of those students have completed the program requirements and used that knowledge to go on to lead successful careers within the criminal justice profession.  Also, numerous students presently in the program are employed with agencies and are completing their academic degree requirements.​

The foundation of the Santa Ana College Criminal Justice Department is its cadre of professors.  In addition to two full-time faculty who have decades of criminal justice/law enforcement experience, both in the field and in command-level positions, the Department provides students seeking careers with a number of highly experienced adjunct faculty who are or have worked extensively in the criminal justice field, in various capacities of leadership and expertise.  The agencies represented by the Santa Ana College Criminal Justice Department professors includes the Santa Ana and Newport Beach Police Departments, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Orange County District Attorney's office, the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Orange and San Diego County Probation Departments. 

Santa Ana College offers students several educational options.  The Criminal Justice Option Degree curriculum is designed to provide students with a solid base for additional study at a four-year institution and for entry level employment in local, county, state, or federal criminal justice agencies, as well as in private security.  Completion of the Law Enforcement Option Certificate exceeds the minimum P.O.S.T. requirements for entry level employment as peace officers.  The Corrections Officer Program Certificate is designed to upgrade the skills and knowledge required for employed criminal justice professionals, and provides technical knowledge and skills based on new legal rulings. ​

Students interested in additional information are welcome to email either of the full-time faculty at the emails listed below.