November 27, 2002

Police academy arresting course for area students

Two dozen high school students attend 10-week police academy

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       Two dozen area high school students received an in-depth look at the life of a police officer during a ten-week Student Police Academy, sponsored by the Traverse City Police Department.
      Students meet weekly on Wednesday evenings to learn the basics of evidence gathering, crime scene investigation, fingerprinting, Fourth Amendment rights, along with search and seizure procedures. They also completed a grueling mini boot camp to start the program, getting a taste of a police academy life.
      The students spent this Saturday morning at the Grand Traverse County Law Enforcement Center using the TAPS program, a computer simulator used to train officers in shooting situations. Then in the afternoon, students and their families gathered at the Oleson Center for a graduation ceremony, receiving a certificate of completion and pin for their efforts.
      Watching the students graduate was the culmination of an idea that was two years in the making, said Officer Dennis Padgett, the liaison officer at Central High School who helped develop and implement the program.
      "The kids in the academy did a tremendous job, I can't tell you how pleased I am with their performance," Padgett said. "I tried to give the students a full look at what the criminal justice system is about - it's not all glamorous and some is not glamorous at all."
      Students from Traverse City Central, West, St. Francis, Suttons Bay, Glen Lake and Traverse City Christian high schools participated in the academy. They met weekly for two hours and all day last Saturday - a big commitment for busy high schoolers, who signed contracts to attend and were asked to notify organizers in advance if a conflict arose.
      For many participants, however, the time was well spent as they pursue their dream career of being a police officer or part of the criminal justice system.
      Josh Snyder and Brett Rahe, both 11th grade students at Central High School, are each heading for a career in law enforcement. The two have become friends because of their mutual goals and both soaked up as much information and experience as they could during the ten weeks.
      Snyder hopes to be either a state trooper or a Grand Traverse County Sheriff and said the academy helped him narrow his objectives.
      "This made me more focus on a specialization," Snyder noted. "When the course first started, I wanted to be a highway patrol officer but after today, I want to be a SWAT team member or part of a K9 unit."
      Rahe was thrilled to spend one session riding with a Traverse City police officer during his shift, watching police procedures from the front lines.
      "This course is a foot in the door for getting one step further toward my goal," said Rahe, who hopes to be a Grand Traverse Country Sheriff. "My whole life, that is something I've been interested in because I like the idea of being able to be the backbone of Traverse City."
      The Student Police Academy pulled together all aspects of the area's law enforcement community, tapping Grand Traverse County Sheriffs and Michigan State Police troopers. In addition, four area judges, a prosecuting attorney and a defense lawyer walked students through the legal system, showing students how police work is used during a trial.
      "We tried to just cover every point of law enforcement so the kids could understand the officers' jobs," said Pat Bowen, a Central High School secretary who helped develop the program.
      Hilary Mills is also interested in pursuing a career in criminal law, possibly as a lawyer. She found the academy reinforced her decisions, boosting her determination to stay on this track. During the ten weeks, two aspects of the course stood out for Mills.
      "When we took the tour of the jail, seeing the cells and stuff like that_it was a lot different that what you expect," said Mills, a 12th grade student at Central High School. "Also surprising was the outlooks of the different police officers, they have different perspectives but similar outlooks. It was really interesting to talk to the police officer from Detroit."