VIDEO: 18 local youngsters complete challenges of Police Boot Camp

Friday, June 10, 2016

The Greencastle Police Department and Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department conducted their annual Police Boot Camp for local youth at Robe-Ann Park from June 6-10.


A group of 18 young men and women stood proudly in the heat of Robe-Ann Park Friday afternoon, having completed a crash course in what it takes to be a police officer.

Conducted chiefly by the officers of the Greencastle Police Department, the annual Police Boot Camp Program took the young people through the physical training, teamwork and discipline it takes to be a law officer, while also introducing them to some of the more advanced and specialized tactics of law enforcement and emergency services in general.

"Our camp was a five-day camp from Monday to Friday," Officer Darrel Bunten told the Banner Graphic. "The goal of the course was to inform the kids of what we have to go through to be police officers and what we have to do and what we learn."

First and foremost on each morning of the camp, the officers and cadets conducted a flag-raising ceremony, said the Pledge of Allegiance and learned about the history of the American flag before getting down to the day's instruction.

On day one, that meant the very basics any police officer or soldier has to go through: PT (physical training), including push-ups, running, jumping jacks, mountain climbers and chopping wood.

"All core body exercises compounded by marching drills, teaching them how to march in formation," Bunten said. "Also (we discussed) why we do the things we do, to emphasize teamwork. We do the left face, right face, about face -- everything to do with formation."

Standing in the shade of the graduation ceremony five sessions later, Bunten let the parents attending the ceremony know the kids had been through the wringer.

"Parents, we have here a fine group of young men and young ladies," Bunten said. "We put them through some pretty rigorous training. We've been exercising quite a bit. I know they're tired."

It wasn't simply a week of sweating and hard breathing, though. While each day featured a return to the PT and marching drills, the kids began to learn other aspects of emergency response, such as a visit from AirEvac medical helicopter as well as Greencastle firefighters on Tuesday.

"Not only is it police-related, but it's emergency services. Everything to do with emergency services they learned here this week," Bunten said.

Wednesday featured Indiana Conservation Officers from the dive team giving a demonstration. The kids got to get in the pool and learn a bit more about how the equipment works.

"They got to talk to the divers through their diving gear," Bunten said. "They thought that was really nice."

Thursday was an action-packed session including firearms safety shooting drills (with soap cartridges form simulation guns) followed by a top gun contest.

The day also featured a car show with visits from other departments including Indiana State Police, Putnam County Sheriff's Department, Cloverdale Police Department and Roachdale Police Department.

Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter was even in attendance to explain how his office interacts with police.

While graduation may have been a source of excitement on Friday, there was first the matter of traveling out of town to the firearms range for shooting with live rifles.

The range trip also came with some lessons on how a bullet affects the human body and why police officers use the ammunition that they do.

When the time came for graduation, it was back to Robe-Ann and a marching entrance to the ceremony, with congratulations and thank yous from Chief Tom Sutherlin.

"Thank you for allowing us to spend a week with your kids," Sutherlin told the parents. "Most importantly, thank the officers. Some of them were on duty when they were here. So they were spending their time here when there wasn't a call. When a call came in, the others stepped up and took over."

Led by commanding officers Sgt. Ed Wilson and Officer Darrel Bunten, adolescent graduates of Police Boot Camp give one last salute before the end of their Friday ceremony.

The ceremony ended with Officer Bunten and Sgt. Ed Wilson again calling the kids to attention, saluting and then releasing them to their parents.

"(We see) a lot of progress. They came a long way," Bunten said. "We had a good group of kids this year, which we have every year."

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