Riverbank Police Services (RPS) hosted its Junior Police Academy last week where youngsters in the area got a first-hand look at what law enforcement does. There were about eight participants in the academy that was filled with information, activities and unique hands on experience.
“The Junior Police Academy is super important,” said RPS Chief Ed Ridenour. “I feel that (it’s important) engaging with our youth so they can get an idea of what law enforcement does and build a rapport with them and relationships.”
This week long course is available to kids in sixth, seventh and eighth grades. The academy is held once a year and the chief hopes to expand the program to involve more kids. There are other programs and internships offered through the Sheriff’s Department like the Explorer Program for teens between the ages of 16 to 18.
The kids were in class from 8 a.m. to noon and spent half the time in the classroom and part of the time out in the field. They received a close look at the specialty teams and their gear. The SWAT team brought their armored vehicle and simulated some tactics. The Dive Team showed the class their boat and scuba equipment and explained some safety measures that they use. The reservoir units also brought out their boats and off road equipment. The bomb squad team shared their equipment with the youngsters like the x-ray machine, the trailer that the bombs go in, and the bomb suits. The students participated in an activity where a phone was put in a backpack and used the x-ray machine to see how it worked.
“We explained that the majority of our calls are suspicious packages and this is how we determine what is safe and not safe,” noted Ridenour. “We did the classroom portion at the police department and walked down to the community center for the larger outdoor area.”
Community Resource Deputy Za Xiong organized the academy this year with assistance from CSO Neserin Harigot and other deputies. With his own money, Deputy Xiong bought each participant a T-shirt for the academy. He met the T-shirt vendor at the Farmer’s Market that is held in downtown Riverbank.
“I thought that was very moving for me because it is something that we could have definitely got donations for,” added Ridenour. “He said ‘no I want to do this for the program’ which I thought was really unique and it shows me that we picked the right person for the community deputy spot. He is here for the right reasons. He used a local vendor as well. It is pretty neat.”
This past Friday was the final day of the academy and the students participated in a mock crime scene. They each had a role of patrol, detectives, and crime scene investigators. The deputies coached each student on how to investigate the mock crime and how to find the person responsible, which was Bicycle Bob, played by Chief Ridenour. The kids that played detectives had the chief in the interview room and were successful in getting a confession.
“It is kind of fun to play the bad guy and you can make it whatever you want; there are no rules to it,” stated Ridenour. “I was trying to be inconsistent in my name and statements and see if they picked up on that which they did which I thought was good. That happens to us all the time. The kids did good. He kept hammering on me no matter what I would say.”
The final day of the academy the participants were treated to a pizza party, a raffle of patches and coins from the specialty teams and a graduation.
According to Ridenour the academy gives the kids an idea of what law enforcement does, leadership skills, and a possible career path. The current group had some interest in pursuing law enforcement, some had interest in crime scene investigation, and some were just intrigued in the course.
“We had a great group of kids and they seem to be really happy from what I can tell and I am really happy to have them here and I look forward to expanding the program next year,” expressed Ridenour. “I want to see it get a lot larger and have a bigger impact on the community.”
