BY NOAH GRIFFITH | FOR THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY —
Beauregard third grader Lane Gooden arrived at the LCSO Thursday morning with a sheriff’s badge hung around his neck and his best buddy, 4-year-old Collins Taylor, by his side.Gooden is a big supporter of fighting crime, and the 8-year-old got to see just how it gets done in the second annual “Sheriff for the Day” program. He joined Sheriff Jay Jones for day two of the program after Smith Station 15-year-old Braden Adams was the participant on Wednesday.
“As an agency, we feel like anything we can do to involve our young people as far as education in regard to the mission of the sheriff’s office, law enforcement’s purpose in general, certainly about the importance of citizenship and service to the community — in our case, public safety,” Jones said.
Gooden, accompanied by his father and his friend, got to roam the building, see each department and talk to the sheriffs. Gooden said his favorite activities were looking at the police vehicles and, of course, eating lunch.
His father said it was a great opportunity to learn the diverse responsibilities of law enforcement and for the kids to see some of the different tactics and tools the officers use.
“And the other thing I liked today is to fight with (Jones),” Lane, a big fan of Batman, added.
What is now an annual program came to life back in 2022. As LCSO was searching for ways to engage with younger generations, media relations director Jessica Henderson suggested the idea of bringing in a “sheriff for the day” for both a younger and older age category.
The program accepts applications from two age groups of Lee County students throughout the fall. At the end of the year, they select one student from ages 7 to 12 and another from 13 to 17. Adams, the older candidate, received more opportunity for hands-on decision-making activities, such as using a VR tool designed to have the user respond to real-life scenarios.
In addition to being Sheriff for the Day, LCSO holds an annual Junior Deputy Academy in an attempt to further pique the interest and build character in the community’s younger generation. The academy is a week-long summer program that displays the “inner workings” of life as a deputy officer and serving a growing community in Alabama.
“In our case, [we’re teaching about] public safety, but we want to shape it in a way where we can provide information to our youth to enhance their knowledge of who we are, what we do and what our mission and goals are,” Jones said. “Along with that comes the importance of service as a citizen of the state of Alabama — a citizen of the United States.”
For more information and to apply for these programs, visit leecountysheriff.org and click on the “community involvement” tab.