Page 18 - 2018 Annual Report

Youth
Initiatives

Youth Academy builds trust early

KCPD started the recruitment process much
earlier in 2018: with middle schoolers.

Deputy Chief Karl Oakman worked with
Captain Darrell Bergquist and Sergeant Joe
Bediako of the Employment Unit in addition to
several other department members to create
the KCPD Youth Academy for children ages 12
to 15.

“What we’ve found in recruiting is that we
always have some kids that for some reason
don’t want to go into policing, and it’s usually
misinformation from friends and relatives,”
Deputy Chief Oakman said. “We thought,
let’s get them a first-hand look at the police
department and all the fun, exciting jobs here,
and show them officers are good people who
are part of your community. And we tell them
we want them to be part of the police family.”

17