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Onondaga Sheriff’s Office Hosted Its Fourth Annual Youth Law Enforcement Academy Fourth Annual Law Enforcement Youth Academy

By Janelle Pottinger

The students lie up for morning training
© 2021 Janelle Pottinger

Reporter: TRAINING HAS BEGUN FOR A SPECIAL GROUP OF PARTICIPANTS AT THE ONONDAGA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE. WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS 25 MEMBER GROUP… THEY ARE CHILDREN. THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS HOSTING ITS FOURTH ANNUAL SUMMER YOUTH LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY. THE ACADEMY IS MEANT TO TEACH INTERESTED CHILDREN ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY. DEPUTY KATHLEEN KRUGER SAYS THIS ISN’T A TYPICAL PROGRAM.

Deputy Kathleen Kruger: “This is not a scared straight program or for kids that are headed down the wrong path.”

Reporter: THE DEPUTIES TREAT THE ACADEMY LIKE A REAL TRAINING CAMP. THE CHILDREN ARE GIVEN PHYSICAL EXERCISES, BOMB UNIT DEMONSTRATIONS, PRESENTATIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS WITH THE K-9 UNIT. KRUGER SAYS THAT THEY HAVE A COUPLE DIFFERENT GOALS THEY WISH TO ACHIEVE.

Kruger: “one of the goals is to expose them to as many different facets of our department as we can and other coordinating agencies.”

Reporter: DUE TO COVID, THE PROGRAM WAS CANCELLED LAST YEAR, AND BECAUSE COVID CASES ARE INCREASING AGAIN, WHAT USED TO BE A 2 WEEK-LONG PROGRAM IS NOW ONE WEEK. KRUGER SAYS THAT HOPEFULLY IN THE FUTURE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO TWO ONE-WEEK SESSIONS TO ACCOMMODATE MORE KIDS.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)– The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office has young people on its premises this week. The office is hosting its fourth annual youth law enforcement training academy for students interested in law enforcement as a possible career choice or who simply want to learn about the job.

There are 25 students in the academy ranging from grades 7-11 and two instructors. Deputy Kathleen Kruger says this is not your typical program.

 

Children on the field
The children are doing drills on the field at the start of their training.
© 2021 Janelle Pottinger

“This is not a scared straight program or for kids that are headed down the wrong path,” Kruger said.

The deputies treat the academy like a real training camp, the students are given physical exercises, bomb unit demonstrations, presentations and experience with the K-9 unit. Kruger says that they have multiple goals for the academy but there is one main goal they hope to achieve by the end of the week.

“One of the goals is to expose them to as many different facets of our department as we can and other coordinating agencies,” Kruger said.

While this academy does require discipline and some focus Kruger says that they try to make it interesting and fun because they are still children at the end of the day.

Due to COVID-19, the program was canceled last year and with COVID cases on the rise again, what use to be a two-week-long program is now one week. Kruger hopes that in the future they will be able to do two one-week programs to accommodate more kids.

 

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