Belle Fourche Police Department members spent an hour and a half teaching a group of local homeschool students about everything from bicycle and water safety to emergency contacts and how to respond to stray animals on Friday, March 28. Students from ages 6 to 16 heard from Officer Wallace Eddy, Officer Ryan Duprel, and Animal Control Officer Clint Haffner.
“Homeschool students don’t have the access that public school kids have—they don’t have a school resource officer that comes and talks to them about this kind of stuff,” said Officer Duprel. “So I think it’s very beneficial for them to stop in and get that education and show that officers are easy to approach and talk to and ask questions about those types of things.”
In addition to learning about several topics in class, the kids also got to try on the standard police officer’s vest, take a tour of the old police station, and see the inside of a patrol car.
Engaging with community youth is a common occurrence for the BFPD. “We always go to the schools and educate them, and we stop up at South Park Elementary and do walkthroughs. And we’re pretty transparent with the kids,” said Duprel.
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