For more than 50 years, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office and California State University, Fresno (CSUF) have maintained a long-standing relationship whereby students are allowed to attend the Sheriff’s Office modular peace officer academy, while concurrently working on their undergraduate degree. At the successful conclusion of the academy, the student is then sworn in as a reserve deputy sheriff (upon successful completion of the background and hiring process). 

The Mission of the CSUF Criminology 108 Reserve program is to supplement Fresno County Sheriff's Office patrol forces with volunteer reserve deputy sheriffs. Furthermore, the student/reserve gains valuable, real-life field experience while working alongside a full-time deputy sheriff, thereby acquiring a greater understanding of law enforcement. The ultimate goal is to assist the student in acquiring full-time employment in law enforcement or another public safety profession, while concurrently acquiring their undergraduate degree from CSUF.

The primary role of a CSUF Criminology 108 Reserve is to work patrol shifts with full-time deputy sheriffs who train, guide and mentor the student/reserve in patrol duties during the normal course and scope of their daily duties. These directed policing hours (120 hours per semester) also suffice for CSUF internship hours, a requirement of the Criminology undergraduate degree program. Furthermore, various paid assignments may also be made available to the students/reserves.

Participation in the CSUF Criminology 108 Reserve program is not designed to be long-term in nature. The student/reserve must commit to participating in the program for a total of four (4) semesters. The first two semesters consist of academy training and the last two semesters consist of the “directed policing” portion. This is the portion where the student/reserve actually performs the job of a deputy sheriff in a hands-on environment.