AKRON - Students at Tippecanoe Valley High School interested in criminal justice have a new club to learn more about the career field.
John Hart, TVHS school resource officer and club sponsor, said he started the new criminal justice club to be a positive thing at the school. The club is for anyone interested in criminal justice, whether that's a career in law enforcement, police lab technician or attorney.
Thursday morning, Kosciusko County Sheriff's Dept. Public Information Officer Chad Hill talked to club members about his job. He also showed them his police car and the equipment inside.
Fifteen students attended Hill's presentation, but Hart said they have about 33 students interested in the club.
Hart said future speakers will include an ATF agent, a judge and an attorney. Hopefully, he said, he will be able to schedule a trip for club members to visit a lab.
Club members already passed out Crime Stoppers tip pads to high school and middle school students. Students also will be involved in Toys for Tots this year.
"I hope this will set a higher standard for our club members, and they will be good role models for other students," Hart said.
The club meets for about 40 minutes every Thursday during School Resource Training.
Hart said he would like to see other area schools follow along and get criminal justice clubs in their schools. The administration at TVHS has been very supportive of Valley's club, Hart said.
A couple of weeks ago, the TVHS criminal justice club elected officers. James Zimmerman was elected president, with Tyler Akers as vice president, Kaden Good as secretary and Rachel Hanes as treasurer. Each gave their reasons for joining the club.
"That's what I'm going to do after school - a paralegal. My mom is in criminal justice classes right now and that got me interested," said Hanes, a junior.
Good, a junior, said he was interested in the club because he wants to be a conservation officer after high school.
"I just think it would be a good job to have. The club will teach me more about it," Good said.Zimmerman, a senior, said, "I'm working part time (as a jailer) in the jail now. Doing this will help me out and I'll learn more."
Senior Akers said, "I plan on going into that field when I graduate. I always liked hunting and fishing; and I wanted to be a conservation officer and my uncle is a police officer in Rochester. So the combination of both of them."
