New law enforcement class at Emery High

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

There is a new class being offered at Emery High. The law enforcement class started the third quarter.
Principal Larry Davis said, “We are always looking to expand opportunities for our students at Emery High School. The law enforcement class is a perfect fit for them because it will not disrupt their existing schedules, it involves not only our sheriff’s office but numerous other local agencies, and it is career-based. We find quite often that the best extended educational experiences for our students are right here in Emery County.”
Deputy Shaun Bell is the instructor for the class. He said the book they are using is similar to the ones used at POST where officers go for training.
“The book is Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. The students are instructed in learning about the court system and the judicial system. We want them to know law enforcement is still a good career. There is a lot of controversy lately involving police officers. We hope by holding this class, the students can learn we are just regular people. Police officers often get a bad rap. There was a news reporter in Arizona that was always criticizing the officers for officer involved shootings. So the police asked him to be involved in some training. He was put in three different scenarios and asked what he would do in those situations. It was a live training and when you’re put on the spot in these situations, you have a split second to make a decision. If someone is inflicting bodily harm on someone else or is threatening an officer, you have a right to defend yourself. There are so many different aspects involved in law enforcement. There’s so much the average person doesn’t consider, it’s easy to criticize if you don’t have a real understanding of what it’s like.
“We hope by having positive interactions with these kids, it will give them a better idea of what we do. Some of the students in the class are interested in law enforcement. Some are taking the class to get a better understanding of the law system. We teach them about the different branches of the government and how the court system works.
“They learn about the various charges that can be brought against someone and where that fits into the court system. We have taught them about probation and parole and how that works. They are learning the terminology, what bail is? what a booking is, and an OR.
“They have learned that judges are appointed by the governor and have six year terms and they are voted on every six years. Sheriff Greg Funk has visited the class to instruct the students, Shaun Alton from Adult Probation and Parole came and spoke and Brent Langston, the deputy county attorney. Justice Court Judge Steven L. Stream came and told the students how justice court works. Capt. Jeff Thomas came and talked about his career in law enforcement.
“I have had the students come along as job shadows and did some patrolling and traffic stops to show them how it works. We’ve discussed what the biggest problems are in the court system. They now know that it’s excessive case loads. If you commit a crime in Carbon County, it takes about a year to get to court. In Emery County, it’s six months or less.
“The students have visited the jail facility twice and they observed in drug court.
“The students have learned about diversion. This is diverting a person from jail, putting them in drug court, instead of jail. They know that inmates can receive a reduction in a sentence due to good time.
“We’ve talked about the recent controversy surrounding one of the state basketball games in Richfield. We talked about what makes a situation a crime. There has to be an element of a threat of bodily harm. These are all part of law enforcement, determining if a crime took place.
“I try to get the students to think about all the aspects of what makes a crime and what doesn’t constitute a crime. We have seven people in our class this semester. I think one of the reasons people don’t go into law enforcement is the pay. The pay is pretty low. We really need better pay. We’ve had some really good people apply, but when they see the wages, they can’t take the job. They just can’t make it on these wages. The state recently changed the retirement from 20 to 25 years. Twenty years in this career is a long time. You see people at their worst. You deal with a lot of bad situations. But, it’s not all bad. You get to help people. If I can help one young person choose a good path, then it’s worth it. I really like to help people. We want to start this class too in the junior high. We want to make a difference in people’s lives. We hope by being in the schools we can build positive relationships with these kids.
“We hope they can come to us with problems and issues they might be having. It’s been a really positive experience teaching these students in this class, I’m learning a lot, too. Reviewing everything I’ve learned over the years.
“This is a great thing and we want to encourage interested students in taking the class next year. It’s an early bird class so it doesn’t interfere with their other classes,” said Deputy Bell.
Students taking the class include: Duke Curtis, Micah Bass, Cleo Halliday, Keller Brown, Claire Clark, Johnny Jensen and Jake Jensen.