PALESTINE — One attended at the urging of his mother; another said it didn't “sound cool” at first but she grew to love it; and others indicated the experience helped them gain a new respect for peace officers.

On Friday night, 51 young people donned the stage at the Palestine Civic Center for the graduation ceremony of the Palestine Police Department's Junior Police Academy 2012.

Over three separate weeks this summer, attendees learned some fundamentals of police work, got a dose of discipline and structure and, along the way, did the usual kid stuff such as going to the movies, bowling, swimming and even climbing a rock wall.

The young people were also exposed to city and county leaders, some of whom served as guest speakers.

Despite being put together at the final hour, the Junior Academy was an resounding first-year success which exceeded all expectations, according to Palestine Police Chief Robert Herbert.

The chief said the idea for the program came to him as he lay in bed one night, pondering ways to get his agency involved in the lives of young people living in Anderson County.

“I was asleep one night,” Herbert said during his remarks at Friday night's graduation ceremony. “I woke up and thought, ‘What could we do to help the children in the community? What can we do this summer just to be a part of these kids' lives?’

“Folks, this was a last minute deal,” the chief continued. “Guys came up with some ideas and we just kind of brainstormed and the end result was fantastic.”

Herbert noted that the police department's budget did not have funds to compensate officers for their time spent on the academy, so their efforts would be pure volunteerism.

Palestine police officer Fernando Nino “was the true backbone” of the academy, according to the chief.

Nino was presented a special award for his dedication to helping the academy be a first-year success.

“He works midnights,” Herbert explained. “He would come in on his own time. If it had not been for his patience and diligence working with these young kids, I don't think we would have gotten here.”

Fellow officer Joe Tinsley served as the academy's organizer, the chief noted.

A pair of academy goers were distinguished Friday night for their exceptional performance this summer.

Jacob Urbina, who will be an eighth grader at Elkhart Middle School, was awarded the “Male Challenge Coin,” while Samantha Mullins, a junior-to-be at Westwood High School, earned the “Female Challenge Coin.”

“My mom saw it in the newspaper,” Urbina said, “and she suggested that it would be a fun thing to do over the summer.”

Urbina said he found out something about himself as a result of his participation.

“To me, I think it brought out leadership I didn't think I ever had,” Urbina said. “I usually just sit back. This actually showed me I can actually step up and lead.”

Mullins was one of about a half-dozen young ladies in the program. Her time spent alongside the officers heightened her appreciation for their jobs.

“Most people have the perspective that the cops are bad because they arrest people,” Mullins said. “It makes you have more respect for them because of all the work they do.”

Lorenzo Vega, who will be a freshman at Palestine High School, said he thoroughly enjoyed the various activities, especially getting to see the movie, “The Amazing Spider-Man.”

“I was surprised I made so many new friends from different schools,” Vega added.

Thirteen-year-old Donovan Herbert, the police chief's son, also enjoyed the social aspect offered by the academy.

“Meet new friends, hang with new people and stuff like that,” Donovan Herbert said when asked about his favorite aspects of the program.

Like Mullins, Vega now sees the police in a different light after spending three weeks getting a taste of their world.

“Once I did this program, they're not bad people,” Vega said, “they're just trying to make the world safe for us.”

With such positive results in the program's inaugural showing, Robert Herbert is already envisioning bigger and better things for the Junior Police Academy 2013.

“We'll most definitely reach out to the outlying schools,” said Robert Herbert, mentioning one of his ideas for potentially expanding the program's reach, “and see if we can get them here.”



Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com