March 19, 2024

Youth academy teaches kids about law enforcement, public safety

Twelve more kids now have a better understanding of what it takes to be in law enforcement and public safety after another year of the Prairie City-Monroe Youth Police Academy ends in success.

The final two days of the ninth annual academy took place July 22 and 23 at Prairie City City Hall, where students learned teamwork in law enforcement, leadership and ethical behavior and also received instruction on handcuffing, fingerprinting and building searches.

Taught by Prairie City Police Chief Joe Bartello and Monroe chief Nick Chambers, the academy broadens the knowledge of today’s youth by giving kids a chance to act like a police officer on duty.

“It’s really just to introduce them to law enforcement — to give them a good idea of a career path they might be considering and what they might be doing,” Bartello said. “From the equipment we use, to the stuff we do on a daily basis, to our interactions with other departments like the fire and EMS.”

Building searches was the final activity the students performed Saturday and remains as one of the most popular sections of the academy.

“We split the kids up into groups of officers and suspects and went over the tactics for room entries, clearing rooms and apprehending suspects,” Bartello said. “We had suspects hide in city hall and then our team of officers had to clear the building and apprehend the suspects.”

Another favorite of the academy is the much anticipated visit from a medical helicopter. Friday afternoon, the helicopter landed near the Prairie City Recreational Complex and academy cadets experienced sitting in the chopper and saw how an injured individual would be loaded and transported.

After several questions from the students about the aircraft, a group photo ended the 20 minute visit as kids then watched the helicopter take off once again.

Aside from the helicopter and law enforcement, students also learned about firefighting, EMS responsibilities and Iowa wildlife.

PCM students entering sixth, seventh or eighth grade were eligible to participate in the academy free of charge. Students received T-shirts and a graduation ceremony Saturday afternoon as nearly 20 hours of academy work came to an end.

The first two days of the academy were at Monroe City Hall July 15 and 16, as Chambers and Bartello taught kids different forms of law enforcement, gun safety, officer discretion and physical requirements.

One activity was a traffic stop scenario that turned into a chase on foot. The student acting as an officer wore a police vest and attempted to catch the culprit who was running away. The purpose was to give students an idea of the equipment officers carry and certain physical activities that are required for the job.

“It’s our goal to reach kids at this age. They’re old enough at that point to have a good understanding of the reality of the job and what we do,” Bartello said. “It introduces them to just about as much as we can cover in our given time period to what it takes to be in law enforcement.”

Contact Alex Olp at aolp@myprairiecitynews.com