Scott Police Academy showcase highlights unique learning opportunity for Regina youth

When Rizwan Baig started his high school journey, he said he was nervous. But the Scott Police Academy helped.

“It’s (high school) just a scary experience, but (I) felt very welcomed,” he said. “I gained leadership skills, communication skills and skills to work with others. And before that, you never really had that coming out of Grade 8,” he said.

Now, as a senior, he recommends the program to everyone.

“It’s worth it, because even if you don’t want to be a police officer, you gain skills to do whatever you want in life,” he said.

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He took part in the Scott Police Academy showcase on Tuesday, which invited Grade 8 students from across Regina to learn about the program and its unique features, like adapted classroom material and mentorship from teachers and police officers.

The Academy is based in Scott Collegiate and is a partnership between the Regina Police Service (RPS) and Regina Public Schools.

The showcase had demonstrations from the explosive unit, SWAT and the K-9 unit. Students also got a close-up of police equipment like a bomb robot, drones and shields.

But the program isn’t just for students who want to learn more about law enforcement.

Const. Tim Logan, school resource officer at Scott Collegiate, said students learn valuable life skills.

“This is about how you can give back to your community, how you can get along with people in your community, how you can work together with people that may be a little bit different than you,” Logan said.

“This is just a different experience and a different way of learning for the young people that we have here. (It) just employs a little bit of policing with regards to the regular curriculum that they take.”

Sgt. Todd Jerome (left) and Const. Tim Logan both say they didn’t have programs like the Scott Police Academy when they were growing up. Giving back to the community was something they both wanted to do when joining the police force. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

He said students from all different backgrounds are encouraged to join the program.

“One of the biggest things that we stress is that we have a diverse community of students that come here, and we want them to learn about each and everyone’s culture, their beliefs and things like that,” he said.

“We make sure that our kids understand that and make them feel very, very comfortable with expressing who they are. We have some students that are transgender, we have some students that are Muslim. We have all different diversity of students here and we make sure that they feel comfortable.”

The program can also improve relationships between police and youth.

“I think it gives them an opportunity to come to our program and see that this is just a uniform, and underneath this uniform is a human being as well,” he said.

“That’s one of the things that makes this program very unique, because I wear my uniform all the time, but I act like a big kid around those kids. It’s (about) being a person first, then being a police officer.”

Sgt. Todd Jerome is the supervisor in charge of the School Resource Program with RPS. Jerome and Logan never had a program like this growing up, but they had influential role models.

Now, they get to be role models for the kids they interact with.

“I did have some very special school resource officers that meant a lot to me growing up,” Jerome said. “I had three that I still kind of keep in contact with to this date.

“Being able to be around police officers and learn what they’re about and being in the community, it’s very special and that made me want to become a police officer as well.”

Valora Alary is really enjoying the Scott Police Academy; she especially likes her teachers, calling them passionate and saying she enjoys being around them. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Valora Alary has only been in the program for six months, but said it’s already making a big difference.

“I have had leadership opportunities in the past because I am an army cadet as well, but I’d say SPA (Scott Police Academy) helps me develop those skills more with the community,” she said.

One of the highlights for her so far was being a part of the Cops and Kids event in December, where kids are selected to go on a shopping spree at the Cornwall Centre based on good behaviour and attitude in school.

“I enjoyed it because I got to interact with the public, and I got to see what my life could be like if I decided to be a police officer,” Alary said.

She’s not sure if she wants a career in law enforcement, but she is excited to learn more about what her future could look like.

She said the program is a very tight-knit community and hopes more students sign up.

“I’m really excited for them to sign up, because I really enjoy the program, and I think it’s a really good opportunity for a lot of younger people wanting to improve themselves,” she said.

The program has around 80 students in it, ranging from Grade 9 to 12.