On November 12, the Webster Groves Police Department hosted Chelsea Center students for a hands-on career exploration trip to the Webster Groves Police & Fire Departments and City Hall. Captain Weber welcomed our students and designed interesting experiences for them to gain exposure to public safety careers in law enforcement, first response, and within the municipal government of Webster Groves.
Captain McCoy heads the detective division and explained the intricate operations of detective work at the department. Officer Edgar introduced the technological aspects of patrol vehicles and modern policing in general. After being shown booking procedures, students spent time in the municipal courtroom, where they were taken through every aspect of a fictitious shoplifting crime. Our students learned a great deal about the myriad factors that play into actuating a community’s safety. From the tactics of patrols to the administrative policing work of documenting offenses; from the city’s ordinances created for lawful order to the complex decisions at every level of their enforcement; and from the prosecution to the adjudication of offenders, they were shown every aspect of each job’s involvement with public safety. Captain Weber, Captain McCoy, Sgt. Travagliante, Officer Edgar, Captain Prinster, Captain Mueller, Judge Jim Dowd of the Eastern Missouri Appellate Court, City Attorney Neil Bruntrager, City Prosecuting Attorney Jonathan Bruntrager, City Manager Dr. Marie Peoples, and Dispatcher Melissa Stites from East Central Dispatch Center involved students in mock policing and courtroom proceedings to respond to, document, investigate, and adjudicate the fictitious crime according to our local ordinances. As a capstone to the experience, students spent time hearing about first responder careers within the Fire Department, and got to experience an active call to witness the quick deployment of resources.
The WGPD provided a pizza lunch for the students and engaged them in shared conversations about public safety careers and how city government operates at every level with citizen safety in mind. The hours that WGPD spent sharing their expertise provided our group with exposure to real world knowledge, experiences, and career paths students had not considered previously. We thank them for being an inspiration as our students imagine what their futures may hold.
