Sign-ups open for annual police youth camp next month
By Jenna Wilson
The St. Joseph Police Department is gearing up for its annual Cops Care Youth Camp in July, bringing officers and local kids together in a positive environment.
Local police officers want to remind the community that officers shouldn’t be feared, despite some having a negative view of them.
“Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff that’s portrayed on TV shows and in the media shows the bad interactions and things of that sort,” SJPD Sgt. Patrick Zeamer said. “We want to show that there’s many positive interactions that we have with the community as well and teach them how to be good citizens and good leaders.”
From July 8-12, the St. Joseph SRO Unit will run the camp for children ages 9-13 at the St. Joseph REC Center. Kids will participate in different games and sports while also learning safety tips, including when to call 911, gun safety and other educational programs.
“It’s a good balance of everything,” Zeamer said. “We do education pieces along with allowing them to play and interact with us to build upon that. We bring in a mental health liaison to speak with them, a special visit from our K-9 and talk about the importance of their role and what they do. We have the Mustangs players come out and talk to them about teamwork. The kids enjoy it because it’s something new every day.”
Kids aren’t the only ones who benefit from the camp. Officers say meeting new children and seeing them develop at camp is a positive experience each year for them, too.
“Just seeing their personalities makes us happy,” Zeamer said. “There’s that instant gratification of we’re doing something that’s rewarding to those kids and getting them out of the house to be active. We’ve had some kids that were very shy when they started the program on the first day and by the end of the week, they’re the most energetic, outspoken and doing all the activities. It’s amazing to see that transformation.”
The camp is free of cost and will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with lunch and snacks provided each day. The police department currently has 12 applications turned in out of the 40 that will be accepted for the 2024 camp.
For information on applications, contact the police department at (816) 271-4777.
