Collinsville Youth Academy participants prepare for their second week
Along with tours of the local police station and Madison County Jail in Edwardsville, the academy cadets have been provided with information about emergency dispatching, physical and mental well-being, dealing with grief, the functions of law enforcement drug units, driving under the influence and the usage of canines in policing, along with Special Weapons And Tactics vehicles while also being trained and certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
By Devese “Dee” Ursery
The Collinsville Police Department is proud to sponsor and host its seventh annual Youth Academy, giving area students a first-hand look at what it takes to start a career in law enforcement.
Up to 20 students from Collinsville School District ages 13-17, have gone through their first week of a two-week training session, with the first week ending July 18. The second week of training ran from July 21 – 25.
Part of CPD’s mission is reducing crime through education, and the academy does that, according to School Resource Officer Courtney Colbert.
“We are here to educate the youth on a wide range of topics surrounding and involving law enforcement, while also giving them tools to be productive citizens,” Colbert said. “Our goal is to inspire as many students as possible to see the honor in becoming a police officer and help set them on the right path to achieve that goal.”
Sometimes participants don’t have a desire to become police officers; however, they still come to learn what police officers do and have a better understanding of the field, according to Colbert.
According to Colbert, the academy started back in 2018, with a desire to connect with students from CUSD 10. CPD has a year long cadet program, where students can learn what it means to be a police officer. The Youth Academy covers what would take the cadet program a year, in just two weeks.
There are two primary locations for the academy. The Collinsville Police Department is one while the other is the Collinsville High School.
“We do travel to other places, such as the Madison County Jail in Belleville, for high-risk traffic stop training, and the Mississippi River for our team-building canoeing trip,” Colbert said. “We travel to these outside agencies to provide the students first-hand experience with inter-agency cooperation.”
The Academy provides transportation for the students to and from these locations.
The core mission of the Academy is to help build positive relationships between the students and police officers of their community, said Colbert. Dozens of officers from our department and surrounding communities are brought in to assist in teaching different skills.
According to Colbert, students can connect with officers and ask questions. “By allowing students this interaction, we hope to break down the barriers and different stigmas that some may have of law enforcement, so they can see the human behind the badge.”
According to Colbert, she and other SROs have noticed better connections with the students who attended the Academy. They have also noticed a significant increase in attendance this year compared to others. She attributes this increase in attendance to the success of the previous years’ academy sessions.
Although CPD has hired several officers who have participated in the cadets’ program, none have come from the Academy so far. “We hope to have a similar trend as the Youth Academy gets a few more years under its belt,” Colbert said.
Throughout the academy, students are encouraged to seek new friends, step out of their comfort zones, and open their minds to different world views.
“This is a perfect opportunity for students to meet police officers in their community, ask questions, and have fun doing it,” Colbert said. “Following the completion of the Youth Academy, the students are allowed to apply for the Cadet program, which is a natural extension of the academy and a step towards becoming a police officer.”
