BENTONVILLE -- Children learned different areas of law enforcement this week during the Benton County Sheriff's Office's Junior Police Academy.
For Carter Williams, 14, it was a snapshot into what his future could hold. Carter said he wants to be an officer when he gets older, maybe with a police dog so he'd always have backup right there.
Safety education
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office uses radKIDS to teach self-defense and awareness to children. The first three letters of the program’s name stand for resisting aggression defensively, deputies said. For more information on radKIDS visit www.radkids.org.
Source: Staff Report
He's seen police searches on television and one of his neighbors is an officer, he said. Seeing things firsthand was different.
Kids attending the academy said they toured the jail Monday. They learned about detectives and watched a detective make a muddy footprint and take a cast from it.
They practiced with the SWAT team and hid from officers Tuesday.
Wednesday they visited the Arkansas National Guard, heard from the bomb squad and had a visit from police dog.
Ethan Ellis, 10, was impressed by the color-coded clothing inmates wear. A trusty wears green striped garb while someone who is a flight risk would wear red stripes, he said.
Taylor Norman, 12, said she now knows how to get away in case of a kidnapping.
"It's something you need to know," she said.
Thursday morning they climbed aboard the department's helicopter and boats.
They also sat in on a civil court case, got a chance at a shooting simulation, wore goggles simulating being drunk and learned about the dangers of prescription medication, said Maj. Nathan Atchison.
The idea is to touch on all all aspects of law enforcement, how to put safety first and about making good choices, Atchison said.
The academy is limited to 30 students each year, but those children can teach their friends and siblings what they've learned, Atchison said.
The junior police academy program started out of the Benton County Sheriff's Office Police Athletic League in 2009, according to the county's website.
"You get to learn about what the police do and how you don't get taken to jail," said. Keaton Hahn, 12.
He loved the visit to the Arkansas National Guard, the SWAT team lesson and anything he can learn about guns. The National Guard had a machine gun turret the children could climb inside, Keaton said. The SWAT team set off a flash bang for them outside the door, Keaton said. The cybercrimes division fascinated him with how officers outwit the bad guys, he said.
Bailey Elmore, 12, said her favorite lesson was on narcotics and how to identify marijuana and cocaine.
Keaton says he might join a SWAT team or the Air Force when he gets older. Bailey said she wants to be on patrol.
The weeklong academy started each morning with self-defense moves from the radKIDS program.
"No one has the right to hurt me because I'm special," the children chorused while practicing to poke attackers in the eyes or kick them in the shins. Both are more effective than beating an attacker on the chest, Atchison said.
Today the children will try out their moves on one of the deputies, but both will wear protective gear.
"You've got to hit as hard as you can," Atchison told the group on Thursday. "You can't just stand there and squirm like a fish."
They aren't allowed to hurt others, reserving their moves for self-defense. Once they get away from an attacker they are taught to run to a trusted adult and call 911.
Deputy Alli Gebhart attended the weeklong camp with her children as a volunteer.
Her youngest has been bullied and she wanted him to have the self-defense lessons, she said. Adults and children both need to think things through before they happen so they are prepared, she said. She wants her children to be ready for what life hands out.
"I don't want to be one of those parents who says 'I just never thought it would happen to me,'" she said.
NW News on 07/10/2015