Nearly 60 Participants in the 2nd Annual Junior Law Enforcement Academy

Nearly 60 rising sixth graders participated in the second annual Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Junior Law Enforcement Academy (JLEA) this week at Middle School. Deputy Courtney Spriggs said the students were chosen “by their school counselors and teachers for their grades, behavior, and interest in law enforcement.” 

The program ran daily from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, with each day highlighting a different department within the . Monday’s schedule included the warrant process and crime scene processing, among other topics.  Tuesday's focus was firearms and traffic stops. Wednesday highlighted courtroom procedures and defensive tactics. Driving skills and the clearing of rooms by SWAT tactics rounded out Thursday’s schedule. The week will wrap up with demonstrations of motorized vehicles , K-9, and mounted deputies. 

This is the second year the program has been in place. Spriggs initiated JLEA because “it’s important that children learn about public safety, especially law enforcement and fire so that they’re not afraid of them. We also like the opportunity to build relationships with citizens.”

According to Jeremy Kingsley, School Resource Officer at North Forsyth High, everything “was adapted for safety” meaning rubber Glocks and air soft guns were utilized and participants drove golf carts instead of automobiles. 

Out in the parking lot, Sgt. Bill Loring told students, “driving is serious. You’ll have fun, but you’ll be learning something” and then climbed into the golf cart and was driven through a maze of parking cones by JLEA attendees.

Sydney Panetta, 11, said, “it was fun. Driving was a little bit easier than I expected.”

When asked if she was intimidated by Deputy Tim Kingsbury seated to her right, she replied, “I didn’t think he made it scarier. He was helpful.”

Daniel Snodgrass, also 11, echoed Panetta's sentiments by saying his driving experience was "actually pretty cool. It got easier as I drove. I was really excited!"

Using rubber Glocks and formal SWAT techniques to clear a room was “awesome” according to Jonathan Allen, 11, who was teamed up with Jack Donnell, 10, and Parker McLeod, 11.

“It was very interesting. I didn’t know there was so much involved,” said McLeod of his SWAT experience.

The academy utilized a handful of classrooms, the gymnasium, cafeteria, and parking lots of Otwell each day. Host school principal Stephen Miller “is fantastic” according to Spriggs, and “school  safety [personnel], Chris Grimes and Bruce Wagar, partner with us to plan logistics, etc. They make sure the classrooms we need are open and air conditioned, the gym is accessible for free time, etc.”

Graduation from the academy will be held later this evening at Otwell with a cookout, awards and diplomas.