Sheriff James Pohlmann encourages boys and girls looking for something new and exciting to do this summer to join the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Academy.
The Academy, started in 2015, is open to children ages 10 to 13 who reside in St. Bernard. The purpose of the program is to foster community pride and self esteem.
“Our Junior Deputy Academy program affords children a chance to learn something about law enforcement and have some fun at the same time,” Sheriff Pohlmann said. “It’s designed to help develop pride and self-respect for these young people, as well as respect for their community and its values.”
The Academy, which is patterned after the Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy for adults, will be held two days a week, from June 6 to July 12, at the Sheriff’s Office Training Center, on the second floor at 2118 Jackson Blvd. in Chalmette, immediately behind the Parish Courthouse. Classes will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on June 6 and 8, June 13 and 15, June 20 and 22, June 27 and 29, and July 11 and 12, 2017. A graduation is set for July 19 at Docville Farms, 5124 E. St. Bernard Highway in Violet.
Sheriff Pohlmann said deputies from various divisions of the Sheriff’s Office visit with participants during the course of the program to introduce them to different aspects of police work.
Participants will visit St. Bernard Parish Prison and be taught firearms safety at a local shooting range. They also will learn basic first aid and CPR and hear from officers in the Sheriff’s Office Patrol, Narcotics and Crime Scene Investigation divisions. Members of the St. Bernard Fire Department also will participate. In addition, children will be shown some of the department’s state-of-the-art equipment.
To register, parents can call Capt. Charles Borchers at (504) 278-7628 or Sgt. Eric Eilers at (504) 278-7799.
