BECKLEY, W.Va. — The Beckley Police Department hopes to strengthen their relationship with youth in the community.
The department has recently announced the addition of the Junior Police and Leadership academy. Similar to their existing citizen police academy for adults, the program is geared toward children ages 11-15.
While it is not training for a career in law enforcement, it aims to give a behind-the-scenes look at police work. Training Coordinator Lt. Chuck Ragland told the WJLS News Network he hopes it will show the reality of the job not frequently shown on television.
“We want the kids to know that it’s not everything they see on TV. Of course the cell phone videos are the first thing to hit the news sometimes. Well that’s all the children might see. They might never know anything else about an incident or about what’s going on because they don’t have that experience. They don’t go further with it.”
The class starts on June 11 and ends on June 15. It will run from 8:30 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon. Registration is currently open to students at Beckley-Stratton and Park Middle Schools, as well as those enrolled in the feeder elementary schools.
Ragland said the only reason they have decided limit the class to those students is class size. This year’s class is limited to 25 students. He also wants the program to show youth they can be comfortable around the police and trust them if they are ever in need.
“They’ll meet roughly 15-20 police officers during this week. They’re going to be more willing to come up to me, or one of the other officers and talk to us and let us know if there is a problem or an issue. We’re breaking down that barrier between the strong arm of the law and the community where we’re more approachable and they’re not afraid to (approach us).”
Eligible students can pick up applications at the Beckley Police Department’s website or online.