HANCOCK COUNTY — Standing in the center of the jail’s drunk tank, the group of teenagers listened carefully to every word spoken by Keith Oliver, the jail commander.
This is what it’s like for people who are picked up for drunkenness, Oliver explained: They will most likely spend the night. They will not get blankets. If they want to sleep, they can stretch out on the hard benches. And a restroom? There is a drain in the middle of the floor.
It was a sobering experience for the 30 teens who this week are participating in the third annual Teen Police Academy, sponsored by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
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“It’s all very informative,” said Kiley Woolridge, who will be a freshman at Greenfield-Central High School in August.
For Kiley and the other young people, the weeklong academy is designed to let area youngsters get to know law enforcement officers and see firsthand how they do their jobs.
The sheriff’s department invests about $4,000 in the week’s activities. The academy is a joint venture by all the county’s law enforcement agencies and is led by Bridget Foy, a detective with the sheriff’s department. She enjoys being host of the academy each year and particularly likes seeing bonds develop between law enforcement officials and county’s youth.
“It’s all about building a bridge between us and the kids, forming real relationships,” Foy said.
Some of the teens, ages 13 through 17, might one day go into law enforcement as a career. That makes the police academy ideal and eye-opening for them. It also creates a community connection for teens who might not one day be police officers, but will one day be adults living in the community.
“We just want them to understand what law enforcement is all about,” Foy said.
The group of teenagers met Foy and some of the academy staff, over 25 different officers from around the county, first thing Monday morning before kicking off the week with some hard, police calisthenics.
While the students won’t shoot actual firearms, they will get to go on a simulation range and pick up some handgun range experience on Thursday. They’ll also get to go through the police obstacle course.
Other activities include visiting the Sugar Creek Township Fire Department; watching a drug investigation; seeing what happens on traffic stops; learning how K-9 officers work; and taking part in a DUI video challenge where they’ll get to drive a golf cart while wearing goggles that simulate impairment.
The teens will even learn marching techniques and how to properly handle and fold the American flag, as is done to honor fallen police officers.
Isaac Jones, an eighth-grader at New Palestine Junior High School, attended the academy last year and came back for more. He was excited to learn more about the forensic side of law enforcement.
“I like how they capture fingerprints and do DNA testing,” Isaac said. “I think I might want to do something like that in the future.”
Jaeda Jeffries, a New Palestine Junior High School eighth-grader, already feels certain she wants to one day be a police officer to help others, she said. Jaeda decided to attend the academy to see if police work really is something she can see herself doing when she becomes an adult.
“It sounded like it would be lots of fun and kind of cool,” she said. “So far, it is.”
She was looking forward to seeing what life inside the jail was actually like, she said. She got the chance as a member of the academy Monday when the teens were broken up into the smaller groups led throughout the facility. They got to see the command center; visited the kitchen at meal time; and got glimpses inside cells.
The Academy wraps up Friday evening with a graduation ceremony slated from 6 to 8 p.m. All the teens who take part get to earn a certificate and graduation shirt.
