“I want to be a police when I grow up,” declared Alyssa Craigwelo, 9. And she should know. Alyssa was in the midst of an intense four-day crash course in law enforcement and public service: the annual Junior Police Academy in Secaucus.
This year, 88 kids took part in the JPA, spending time at a firing range, participating in an interactive demo on firefighting, meeting bomb-sniffing dogs, watching the roof sheared off a crashed car, and questioning the pilots of a helicopter that dropped into their midst on the field behind Clarendon School.
Alyssa’s favorite part? “All the weapons and stuff. It’s pretty cool.”
Her older brother, Tyler, 11, had a different preference.
“The helicopter,” he said enthusiastically. Much like his sister, he attended because “I thought it would be cool to learn how to be a policeman. I find it very inspiring.”
Seven Secaucus police officers under Lt. Carlos Goyenachea volunteered to lead the kids through their four-day adventure. Joining them at various points were volunteers from the Fire Department, EMS, OEM, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Department, and the New Jersey State Police. Support was provided by the town, the DPW, and the Board of Education.
Day one, on Monday, Aug. 17, consisted of drills and ceremony, followed by a packed day of activities on Tuesday. The Hudson County Sheriff provided a police dog that delighted the kids with a demonstration in the school auditorium. Next up, the Secaucus Fire Department showed how they use the “jaws of life” to rip apart a car after a serious accident in order to rescue trapped passengers.
“I thought it would be cool to learn how to be a policeman. I find it very inspiring.” –Tyler Craigwelo
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Minutes later the helicopter dropped down and the kids got to engage in a Q&A with two of the 30 pilots who fly the eight helicopters in the New Jersey State Police Aviation Bureau.
“We do lots of surveillance,” explained Trooper Dan Carney, one of the two pilots. “We do a lot of crime scene photography, a lot of searches, whether it’s a good guy or bad guy.”
Recent searches, his partner Bill Munyon explained, included locating a couple of stranded kayakers and rescuing a hiker who wandered far off his path.
“I’m not into helicopters and I’m allergic to dogs,” said Mateo Kolmer, 8, as the aircraft lifted off from the field. But even Mateo, whose mother signed him up for the JPA, had a favorite activity. “Eating,” he stated. “I’m enjoying the lunch.”
Teamwork and discipline
JPA is a national program that began in Secaucus in 2002. Goyenechea got involved several years later and has headed the program for years. He is also in charge of the department’s LEAD program (law enforcement against drugs, the successor to the anti-drug DARE program), teaching kids in the first, third, fifth, and eighth grades.
“Carlos really has a passion,” said Mayor Michael Gonnelli. “It really takes a passion to do this.”
“My goal is for them to experience a little bit of what we do,” said Goyenachea. “It’s not what you see on TV. This is reality. We yell at them and make them do pushups and all that other nonsense, but we’re just playing with them. It’s all in fun. And it’s also to build relationships. We’re here to help people.”
And even the pushups and other nonsense have their reasons. “It’s to teach them teamwork,” said Goyenechea. “Drill ceremony, what are you doing? You’re not working as an individual, you’re working as a group. In law enforcement, you can’t work as an individual; you’ve got to work as a group. So we are teaching them that. We could take them to the Intrepid, which is great, but it’s just a field trip. I’m not here for field trips. My field trip is to McGuire Air Force Base. My field trip is to Bergen County Police and Fire, where they’re going to get hands-on experiences.”
The kids visited both locations during their time in the academy, experiencing a live fire demonstration and getting to put out a fire at the Bergen County Police and Fire site in Mahwah.
Although JPA typically includes kids from third to eighth grade, Goyenechea made exceptions to allow a handful of second graders to join, as well as a returning ninth grader who can’t get enough of the program.
“The kids learn a lot of discipline” said Gonnelli. “They learn what it’s like to be a first responder, to help others. The whole thing is a true learning experience for them. If you can teach a kid at this age to respect people around them, respect the community, that goes a long way. They younger you get these kids, the better it is.”
Why they serve
“I have family in the military and it’s cool what they teach us,” said Alyssa Jaipersaud, explaining why she signed up. “I like the trips that we go on. They’re really fun. Plus you learn a lot.”
As a returning cadet, she was assigned a leadership role. “I’m the red platoon leader. I pretty much get them in order, and make sure they listen and are respectful,” she said.
“My ninth grader is the company commander and my eighth graders are squad leaders,” said Goyenechea. “I break it all down so the bigger kids take care of the little kids.”
At eight years old, Kathy Nguyen is already participating in JPA for the third time. “I like that you get to learn from a lot of firemen and policemen,” she said.
“I just like getting wet,” said her friend Brooke-Lynn Paparazzo, 9, attending for the second year. “Also I like being with my friends. We’re all best friends.”
“I like when they yell at us,” said the third member of the group, Mykailla Harper, 9, inexplicably. “I don’t like doing pushups, though.”
“I hate pushups!” interjected Melody Smentkowski, 9.
“I love doing pushups,” said Kathy. “I’m the one who gets yelled at a lot and likes to do weird things. I’m also the one who likes to beat a lot of people up. I’m the youngest one. I’m the dangerous one.”
This year’s JPA culminated in a ceremony on Thursday night at the band shell in Buchmuller Park, where the graduates received certificates in front of a crowd gathered for the weekly summer concert.
By then, not surprisingly, Goyenechea’s voice was completely gone.
Also participating in this year’s JPA were Secaucus Det. Sigmond and Police Officers Castillo, Eccles, Gallelo, Manente, Prospero, P. Miller, and EMT Birchtold.
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.