The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a few good kids.
Actually, it’s looking for more than a few. The department is now taking applications for the summer 2021 Sheriff’s Youth Academy meant for “youth curious about a career in law enforcement.”
In recent years, law enforcement agencies have had trouble filling job vacancies and this is one way that the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department helps assure the future pipeline contains job applicants – by getting youngsters interested in the profession.
Sheriff’s Department officials call the Youth Academy “an exciting, engaging program which seeks to inspire youth toward a future in public safety by presenting subjects condensed from the training curriculum for law enforcement officers.”
The Youth Academy, which is for teens from 13 to 17 years of age, will meet on weekdays between June 28 and July 7 for a total of seven days. Those classes will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday.
The department is stressing that there’s a mandatory orientation meeting on Friday, June 25, at 6 p.m. That meeting will be held at the Otto Zenke building – the Sheriff’s Department’s administrative headquarters – at 400 W. Washington St. in downtown Greensboro.
The classes will be at the Sheriff’s Department’s District 2 Office at 5440 Millstream Road in McLeansville.
Those interested can enroll at https://www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/sheriff-s-office/divisions/community-resource-unit/sheriff-s-youth-academy or can speak to the officer stationed at their school.
Enrollment must be completed by Friday, June 18. Class space is limited and is being filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
The questionnaire asks the applicants, among other things, if they’ve ever used or sold illegal drugs.
According to the department’s promotional literature, the academy “aims to stimulate a positive interest in law enforcement in youth, as well as heighten awareness of the positive aspects of being a good citizen. Young people will learn the basic functions of a law enforcement agency, requirements of a career in law enforcement, and advantages of Explorer Post membership.”
Here’s a partial list of the things that will be covered during the academy:
- Career preparation
- Texting and driving-DWI prevention education
- Firearms simulator training
- A question and answer session with the Armed Forces, the FBI and the DEA
- Traffic stops and car chases
- Physical fitness training
- Introduction to drills and ceremonies
- DWI simulator
- Building searches using K-9’s.
- SERT – Sheriff Emergency Response Team
- Robot use in bomb threats
- Emergency Medical Service and mental health services
I want all you juniors out there to help out your brothers & sisters in law enforcement. On the way, you can drop your suggestions at the box in City Hall.
Who is dumb enough to want to be a cop in this crazy time? Anyway, I did not know it was a Sheriff’s Department. I was under the impression it was a “Sheriff’s Office” since the Office of Sheriff is an “elected office” and is NOT a department of the County, like EMS, DSS, Tax, County Fire and so on.
That’s right, the Sheriff is elected by the people of Guilford County, so he is accountable to the people. We need more deputies that are taught Constitutional law, so they don’t stray from their Constitutional responsibilities to those that elect the sheriff and by extension the deputies. By the way, they swear an oath to defend the Constitution.
They need to worry about recruiting adult deputies. Can you look into the number of vacancies? It isn’t solely because of pay. Morale is tanking.