THE WESTFIELD NEWS – By Peter Currier
Westfield State University has been hosting young police cadets from around New England, New York, and New Jersey this week as part of a Northeast Regional Law Enforcement Education Association (NERLEEA) Cadet Police Academy.
The Westfield Police Youth Cadets were one of many youth cadet programs to take part in the week-long academy. Beginning on July 14, the cadets began a training regimen that specializes in certain areas of policing depending on their age and experience. The program has six stages, one for each year. The first-year program is the most basic program, and by the third stage the cadets are go through what is essentially a police boot camp.
According to Reiley Ledoux, a past graduate of the program, the sixth stage is the most difficult of them all. She said that just four cadets from Westfield have finished the final stage, which is taught by Connecticut State Troopers. Ledoux said that this academy can give young people a better perspective on policing and working as a larger team.
“The biggest thing these kids learn all week is teamwork,” said Ledoux, “It can also really help with self-confidence.”
She added that many of the kids that work together throughout the week come from a variety of backgrounds. There are kids who come from cadet programs in the inner city of Hartford as well as kids who come from more well-off backgrounds.
Much of the week was spent with the cadets operating a mock police department throughout the campus. The kids would be divided into pairs or groups to patrol the campus, while they are occasionally radioed to a made-up scenario. Those scenarios could be anything from a hostage situation to performing a building search. Some of the cadets were assigned to be normal police officers while others were assigned to the “Special Response Team” for more serious calls.
The cadets are also taught how to handle a crime scene. In one activity, some of the third-year cadets were brought to the volleyball court on the WSU campus where a series of footprints were placed. The cadets learned how to accurately take a foot or shoe print without compromising it by using plaster or spray paint.
As part of the boot camp portion of the academy, the cadets went through a combat course. Each cadet began with a series of pushups before they were sent over to a drill instructor holding a punching bag, which they had to punch or kick repeatedly for a certain period of time. The cadets were being directed by Wesfield Police Officer Christopher Coach.
After going through multiple punch bags, the cadets would then run over to WSU police volunteer Nate Schreffler, who donned the Westfield Police Department’s padded red combat training suit. The suit allows the cadets to practice hand-to-hand fighting at full speed without serious risk to Schreffler. One instructor noted that Schreffler had to fight 63 kids in one day.
Although the training regimen for the week was taken seriously by the cadets and the police instructors, the kids were treated to some non-police activities as the week went on. This included a Thursday evening party in Scanlon Hall with a DJ and karaoke.
The weeklong academy culminated with a graduation ceremony on Saturday morning at the Woodward Center on the WSU campus.
The Westfield Police Cadet program was first founded in 1994 as the Westfield Police Explorers as part of the Boys Scout of America. In early 2015, the program separated from the Boy Scouts and became part of NERLEEA. The name changed to Westfield Police Cadets and became a youth nonprofit organization. The program is open to kids between 14 and 20 years old.
Aside from the academy, the cadets are actively involved with some of the functions of the police department. They volunteer to assist the police with events such as fireworks, concerts, and parades. They also hold weekly meetings every Monday evening at the police headquarters. The program in Westfield is run by Officer Chris Coach and Detective Rick Mazza.