FRANKLIN - A criminal justice program is coming to Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School.

The school was awarded a $40,000 grant from the state Department of Education to develop with other regional vocational schools and post-secondary institutions curriculum for a criminal justice major.

Dean College, which is also located in Franklin and has a popular criminal justice degree program, served as Tri-County's post-secondary partner for the project. And Tri-County Academic Coordinator Mary O'Connor served as the school's representative on an overall team and worked on curriculum writing.

Tri-County also recruited volunteers from the security industry, the legal profession, law enforcement, and the court system, as well as representatives from the military, fire, and medical fields, to review and comment on the proposed curriculum. That has led to a program advisory committee.

Other secondary schools participating in developing the criminal justice program include Southeastern Vocational Technical High School. Bristol Community College was also involved.