Second year of Junior Deputy Academy begins; Some kids say they want to be cops, others took class to see department weapons, the jail or firing range; Sheriff tells them they will like what they will see

Sheriff James Pohlmann tells the class they will have “some awesome things to do.”	Capt. Charles Borchers, right, speaks to the Junior Deputy academy class and next to him is Dep. Sheriff Eric Eilers.
Dep. Sheriff Eric Eilers shows a group the inside of a police car and demonstrates a radar gun.	Lt. Steve Ingargiola discusses the work of the Patrol Division to the class.

Alicia Chatham pf Chalmette said she wanted her son, Michael, 12, to take the Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Academy class which opened June 7 to help him learn more about “discipline, respect and that there are consequences for actions.’’

Daniel Rodriguez of Chalmette said he wants his grandson, Elijah Payne, 10, “to learn about police. He’s been saying he might want to be a policeman.’’ And he added, “I was a Junior Deputy when I young,’’ in the 1960s when the program was first held by the Sheriff’s Office.

Some of the more than 30 kids who attended the opening day of the Junior Deputy Academy’s second year under Sheriff James Pohlmann had various reasons they were interested in the class that runs two days a week through mid-July.

Alexis Brewer, 12, said she is taking the class for the second year because. “It was fun last year’’ and she looks forward to seeing the department’s bomb robot, used for checking out suspicious items.

James Shaneyfelt, 11, said he wants to see the Parish Prison. Bob Manual, 9, said, “I want to learn about being a cop.’’

Sheriff James Pohlmann told the group. “My staff has put together a great program and I think you will like what you see.’’

He added, “You are going to have some awesome things to do.’’

The sheriff also spoke about problems youth can have and stressed they need to understand that their life will be about the decisions they make, including who they choose to associate with.

“We have a lot of people in our jail who have made bad decisions,’’ often including the use of drugs that got them addicted and led to being involved in crime as a way to find money for more drugs.

Capt. Charles Borchers and Dep. Sheriff Eric Eilers are coordinating the Junior Deputy Academy.

Borchers told the class that police “are not people to be scared of. You can trust us.’’

Eilers let the class get a look inside a sheriff’s car and its lights and sirens, and demonstrated a radar gun to them.

Also, on the first day of class, Lt. Steve Ingargiola, a veteran of the Patrol Division and graduate of the FBI Academy in Virginia, spoke about the day-to-day job of a police officer, running them through various types of things they do on patrol and the types of calls they handle.

Ingargiola also stressed to the children not to be afraid or leary of police.

“We are approachable.’’ Ingargiola said. “You can talk to us. We are here to help you.’’

During the Academy, deputies from various divisions of the Sheriff’s Office will visit with participants and introduce them to functions that impact the parish.

Included in the academy will be field trips to the Parish Prison and firearms safety taught at a shooting range.

Participants will also learn basic first aid and CPR and hear from officers about the Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division, Crime Scene Investigation and the department’s state-of-the-art equipment.