Teens learn about SWAT team, how to dive and shoot guns at law enforcement camp
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IDAHO FALLS — A camp run by law enforcement is teaching teens for the next two weeks how to dive, shoot and communicate with each other effectively.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a Teen Career Camp this week, with 21 participants.
The camp is in its second year and has grown. Last year, there was only one week of the camp. An additional week of camp starts Monday. There will be 17 kids in that session.
“We can use it to build excitement for the industry and the career path and to help recruitment for the future for the sheriff’s office,” said Nate Downey, a deputy and school resource officer with the sheriff’s office.
High school kids interested in the law enforcement profession and what the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office does get a taste of what it’s like through the camp.
On Tuesday, the kids spent time at Idaho Dive Pirates in Idaho Falls. They split into groups and were taught how to dive in a pool with scuba gear.
“We have a dive team that dives all the rivers and the lakes in the county and goes to other places as well,” Downey said.
He added that he enjoys seeing the kids try something new.
“Some of them will enjoy it, and some of them are struggling through the activities and the different aspects of the sheriff’s office, but we get to see them try new things and realize, ‘Hey, I can do this stuff, I can make this happen, I can conquer some of my own personal fears and get through it,'” he said. “We see that today (on Tuesday), especially here in the pool with the kids scuba diving. They are doing great.”
There are team-building exercises that the kids participate in too. It’s a big part of the job since it revolves around teamwork and communicating with each other.
“We want to teach them communication skills. Being in the school as an SRO, I see the students. A lot of the times, they struggle to communicate unless they are texting, and to have a one-on-one conversation with someone, a face-to-face conversation with someone, it gets a little more difficult, and so we teach them about communication skills,” Downey said.
By the end of the camp, the teens will have learned about gun safety and how to shoot guns at a gun range. They will additionally have learned about the SWAT team, emergency response, and what the K9 team does.
New to the camp this year is a community service project in conjunction with BCSO Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 8 and the Ammon Walmart on Thursday. The teens will be buying school supplies to donate to local schools.
Downey has three of his daughters participating in the Teen Career Camp, including Kenna, who is 13 years old. She told EastIdahoNews.com what she had learned so far.
“We learned how to protect ourselves in a shooting and assess the situation. Communication is the most important thing,” she said. “We do a bunch of fun things and they teach us how to be a part of a SWAT team and underwater searches. It’s really fun.”
She said at first diving underwater was a little scary, but she enjoyed it in the end. Kenna said she was interested in the camp because of what her father does for work.
“He comes home and tells some cool stories, and so I thought it would be fun,” Kenna said.
She isn’t sure what she wants to do for her career yet, but she said she would consider a job in law enforcement.
Downey said his daughters had enjoyed the camp after he asked them if they wanted to give it a shot. That’s what he is hoping other teens will do too: try it.
“If this sounds like something that anyone would be interested in the future, we are taking anyone who is out of eighth grade up to 18. We would love to have you in the future,” he said.
The sheriff’s office plans to host a Teen Career Camp next year. If you have questions, contact the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 529-1200.
