Taser and K-9 demonstrations, a drunk goggles relay and bike and water safety discussions.
Also, lessons led by the Seymour Fire Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana conservation officers and Jackson County REMC.
That’s just a sample of the activities nearly 40 incoming fifth- and sixth-graders will experience during the inaugural Seymour School Resource Officer Youth Camp.
It’s set for June 15, 16 and 17 at the Fraternal Order of Police Donald M. Winn Lodge 108 in Seymour. With ongoing construction on Airport Road, the camp may move to Seymour High School. If that happens, participants’ parents will be notified.
Chadd Rogers and Jason Wynn, both 23-year veterans of the Seymour Police Department, recently shared information about this new camp. Rogers is a school resource officer at Seymour High School, and Wynn is an SRO at Seymour Middle School.
About a month ago, they publicized the camp at Seymour’s elementary schools and narrowed down the applications to meet their criteria. They figured around 40 kids would be good for the pilot year, Wynn said.
“It’s just that transition age from where they are starting to go to a new building and maybe help them out and make them a little more comfortable,” he said of why they chose kids going into fifth and sixth grades.
Once construction is complete at the Seymour Middle School Sixth Grade Center, fifth- and sixth-graders will be in the same building.
“We figured when they get to the (same building), all of these kids will be going to the same school together, so they will instantly have a bond with 40 kids,” Rogers said.
“They’ll have somebody familiar once they get to the fifth/sixth grade center ‘Hey, I saw you from summer camp,’” Wynn said.
Rogers said the youth camp is something they have wanted to do for a few years.
“Columbus and other agencies have a program, and it’s something that we wanted to do,” he said. “We were actually going to try to implement it two years ago, but with COVID, it has been delayed, so this year, we’re going to go ahead and do it.”
The Columbus program charges a fee for its camp, but the new one in Seymour is going to be free this year. The FOP and fire department are providing lunch for the kids.
“It gives them interaction, too, with law enforcement, fire outside of the uniform,” Wynn said.
“We just wanted to have a good time, keep them occupied during the summer and have a positive relationship with law enforcement,” Rogers said.
The plan is to do this camp on an annual basis.
“First year, we’ll see how it goes, and hopefully next year, we can expand it, and if the need is there, maybe even do two camps,” Rogers said.