Peekskill cops train youngsters in police work

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Peekskill cops train youngsters in police work

By TERENCE CORCORAN

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: July 25, 2007)

PEEKSKILL - Tashawna Maxwell admits that she didn't always understand why cops act a certain way - that is, until she participated in the annual Peekskill Youth Police Academy.

"But now I know," Tashawna, 13, said yesterday as she and 29 other members of this summer's class practiced traffic stops. "The goal of every officer is to get home to their family each night."

Maxwell, who'll enter the eighth grade in the fall, is in her second year at the academy, a two-week program in which youngsters from the Peekskill area train alongside officers in the classroom and the field. The students in this year's class, including six squad leaders, start their day with calisthenics, followed by some military exercises such as lining up in formation, then head to the classroom, where an officer instructs them on police work before they go out for field training.

During the two-week class, which ends Aug. 3, the students train alongside veteran officers, take field trips and have a friendly competition with their counterparts from the Newburgh Youth Police Academy.

Yesterday, the students were instructed in the intricacies of a traffic stop. An innocuous thing like pulling a person over for running a stop sign can become a matter of life and death, they learned.

Then, led by Officer Andre Wright, they jogged from police headquarters to Riverfront Green Park, about a mile away, where several officers demonstrated regular and felony traffic stops, and had the students make the stops themselves.

"Along with domestic-violence calls, a traffic stop is one of the most dangerous things a police officer can do," Sgt. Mark Parnell said.

As Wright and Officer Carl DeMarco demonstrated a traffic stop, using Officers Sam Kenan and P.J. Purpura as their subjects, Parnell and Sgt. Ray Henderlong offered a running commentary on what the officers were doing and why. For instance, the officers pulled their cruiser behind the car, but Wright kept to the left of the stopped vehicle. Police explained that he positioned the cruiser that way to protect the officer from other cars as he's standing by the driver's-side door of the stopped car.

"If another car comes by too close, it's going to hit the cruiser," Henderlong told the class. "We can always get another cruiser, but we can't replace you."

Cousins Emily and Christina DiPaterio, both 12 and from Cortlandt, "pulled over" Kenan and Purpura for running a stop sign. After they ran the car's plates, the driver's license and determined that everything was in order, they let the driver go with a warning.

"It was fun, but it was kind of scary," Emily said.

"I was a little nervous, but I think we did good," Christina said.

The two-week program is made possible by donations from Peekskill merchants. The officers said that while the academy is a lot of work, it's a highlight of their year.

The program goes a long way in showing the students that officers are people; and it often gives them new respect for cops.

"I'm learning a lot about what police do," said Alexander Warn, 12, a student at Assumption School. "It's a tough job."

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Sounds like a great program, I took part in the Connecticut Police Explorer Academy 3 years in a row (wasn't able to go this year) and its a great time. Police departments can find a great resource in a well planned Explorer/Cadet program, not to mention great press headlines and public support.

[Oswegowind 17]

I actually got to see this program first hand, by accident...My daughter insisted on visiting the Riverfront Green yesterday here in Peekskill and this is where they were training on felony stops. It is good to teach people how to act when they are stopped in 5-10 years...J/K LOL.

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

Mt Pleasant started and EXPLORER program a couple of months ago and it seems to be going very well. They came out on an ICE RESCUE drill that we were doing and I have seen them around helping out with the JULY 4th FIREWORKS at the DAM along with the EMPIRE STATE GAMES.

[Remember585 815]

Mt Pleasant started and EXPLORER program a couple of months ago and it seems to be going very well. They came out on an ICE RESCUE drill that we were doing and I have seen them around helping out with the JULY 4th FIREWORKS at the DAM along with the EMPIRE STATE GAMES.

Both programs sound cool. Glad kids are interested.