Fox Valley teens get a look at law enforcement through Kane County Sheriff's Junior Deputy program
A group of Fox Valley high school students have a better understanding of law enforcement thanks to their participation in a Junior Deputy Program led by the Sheriff Don Kramer and the Kane County Sheriff's Office.
Eighty-five students were recognized June 16, at a Kane County Cougars game for completing the course. They come from East and West Aurora, St. Charles East and North, Batavia, Geneva, and Kaneland High Schools. The six-week program familiarizes students with law enforcement and tackles social issues to better prepare participants for life beyond academia.
"It's important they get recognized for all their hard work in and out of the classroom," said Sheriff Kramer, who spearheaded the Junior Deputy Program three years ago.
Kramer is actively addressing mistrust among teens toward law enforcement. In the Junior Deputy Program, students interact directly with officers several times a week at their high school and at county facilities.
"Not all officers are like how you see on the internet," said West Aurora High School senior Elizabeth Mendez, who admitted she didn't have a positive perception of police prior to entering the program, but is now planning to enroll in the military and pursue a career in law enforcement after graduation.
Guest speaker Dr. Adrienne Coleman, addressed the students in May with the topic of social injustices. She's an administrator and director of Equity and Inclusion at the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora.
"We talked about race and gender relations from an individual, institutional, and societal perspective," said Coleman. When addressing LGBTQ issues to a classroom, she noticed laughter from a couple of her students.
"I know where that laughter comes from. It comes from not understanding or knowing about it. But the reality is, we're losing more students who are LGBTQ to mental health issues and depression," she said. "It's our responsibility to be mindful of that."
She added that the students' opinions differed on topics like Kanye West's politics and gender roles. "It's not about coming to an agreement. It's about being brave enough to listen and get a mutual understanding and mutual respect. A lot of times, people think they should agree, that there's only one view. Not so," she continued. "It's not about agreement. It's about conversation."
The six-week course also tackles career advancement, and even being mindful when posting on social media.
"There's nothing we won't talk about," says Tim Baker, coordinator for the Fox Valley Career Center. Baker, a retired sergeant from the Geneva Police Department, sees most of the kids standing on the thin blue line one day.
Ivan Monroy, a 16-year-old from East Aurora High, has struggled with mixed messages from family and friends when it comes to law enforcement. He is adamant that he's "not a product of his surroundings," and has taken on the challenge of trying to convince his peers to take the class.
"We (students from East and West Aurora High Schools) took pictures at the (Cougars) game together. Sometimes these schools are tagged from their rival school. This program brought us together," said Monroy, who plans to enlist in the Marines.
The Junior Deputy Program cost $5,000, which included the Kane County Cougar tickets for the students and their families, a luncheon with Sheriff Kramer, and the Junior Deputy Uniform T-shirts. Sheriff Kramer sees the program growing and encourages interested parties to learn more about the program by contacting the Kane County Sheriff's Office.