A group of local kids celebrated the conclusion of this year’s Monroe County Sheriff’s Department Youth Academy with a run in the rain Friday morning, having spent the week alongside deputies learning all the ins and outs of law enforcement and public safety.

MCSD Sgt. Justin Biggs offered an overview of the academy, as he led the charge in getting it organized. He explained how this program had long been an interest for him.

“This was something that I had in mind there that I’ve always wanted to do,” Biggs said. “I went to Sheriff Rohlfing and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got some ideas I’d like to bring to the table for the sheriff’s department here.’ He, without hesitation said ‘absolutely.’ We talked about it, came up with an idea of how we wanted to run them.”

Biggs further explained that his interest in the academy came largely as he wanted to address the negative narrative regarding police, developing a relationship with county youth to show them that they can trust law enforcement.

There are a number of other facets to the academy as well, chief among them exposing kids to what the job of a police officer is like when it comes to day-to-day work as well as the equipment officers have access to.

“We wanted to build a positive relationship with our youth, and at the same time we wanted to give them some insights into what we do in the hopes of potentially getting more interested individuals into law enforcement,” Biggs said.

Additionally, the academy seeks to improve kids’ teamwork and determination. They’re put into different teams for the week, working together to handle different activities and challenges.

When it comes to determination, Biggs explained he and others overseeing the academy meet with parents to discuss how they won’t accept kids giving up or not trying, saying that their goal is to push them while ultimately being their biggest supporters.

“We don’t want them to, when times get tough, give up,” Biggs said. “We want them to learn to push through things to succeed in life.”

Altogether, the youth academy was a rather busy workout for both the kids and the officers and department staff managing it.

Monday served as an onboarding day, with kids being assigned to different squads and getting a rundown of all the rules and expectations for the week, though they also got to see up-close different patrol vehicles, armored response units and other vehicles the department relies on.

The first day additionally featured lessons on firearm and hunting safety, a K9 demonstration and training to make the cadets CPR certified.

Tuesday featured a few more lessons on police investigations and the impact of narcotics as well as presentations from local fire departments and Monroe County EMS.

The highlight of the day for most cadets was likely a helicopter demonstration courtesy of the St. Louis Metro Air Support Unit.

“The helicopter’s always a big thing because the pilots that fly those are amazing with what they can do with that equipment, the way they maneuver it and fly in,” Biggs said.

Tuesday also included one of the bigger physical activities for the cadets as they worked with Championship Martial Arts in Columbia to learn some self-defense skills.

Lessons continued into Wednesday as cadets heard about crime scene investigation, observed a mock trial and learned about emergency management and the dispatch center as just a few items on the schedule.

Thursday primarily saw cadets meeting with actual police cadets at the Southwestern Illinois Police Academy in Belleville as well as members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Division.

The day closed with a graduation ceremony, leaving Friday open as one big celebration.

Cadets started off by taking a run from the department to the Monroe County Courthouse escorted by deputies, going on to enjoy a water slide, dunk tank, laser tag and a cookout with deputies manning the grill.

Biggs recalled how the academy began in 2023 with 20 cadets. This year’s program consisted of 42 cadets.

He noted how the first year came with some anxiety about how the cadets would handle everything, though with how positive the past three academies have been, the program seems to be a strong success.

“The first year I can honestly say I was nervous because you look at some of the kids’ faces when they show up and you’re like, ‘How many of the kids here don’t want to be here,’” Biggs said. “But by the time it was over, they’re coming in in the morning, they’re laughing. We may have kids that may not have that many friends or don’t know that many people here, and by the time they’re done, we have team building as our big thing. They have to compete as a team.”

Biggs expressed an appreciation for all those who had a hand in the academy coming together, from the other departments and organizations who participate to the sponsors and folks who donate to the department account which also benefits the senior citizen academies.

He noted his thanks to Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing for his support and the confidence he’s shown in both Biggs and the academy to represent the department.

Biggs also thanked his colleagues in the sheriff’s department, with the many deputies, correctional officers and dispatchers who support the academy in a myriad of ways.

Biggs offered a special thanks to Deputy Joel Adcock and Rachel Steingrubey, who play especially major roles in running the academy with him.

Adcock spoke quite positively about the academy and his involvement with it, commenting on how beneficial it is for the kids to engage in their teamwork and physical activities while also getting familiar with the department and its officers.

“It’s been great,” Adcock said. “We’ve had excellent outcomes and attendance all the years, and it’s been awesome being able to get to the youth and give them some insight into what our job entails and all the cool things we get to do day-in and day-out.”

Steingrubey expressed a similar sentiment, noting how busy yet rewarding the week is as it allows the kids to get a unique perspective and build a better relationship with local law enforcement.

“I think it’s really important for them to get up close and personal with law enforcement and see that they’re people just like everyone else,” Steingrubey said. “They can be down to Earth. They can still have fun, and kids don’t need to fear law enforcement.”

Biggs was further enthusiastic about the academy and the success it’s seen this year and in the past, voicing his hopes for the community to continue supporting the program.

“The support that we’ve really seen this last year has been great, and hopefully it just keeps growing, and the supported and backing we get from the community continues to grow,” Biggs said.