EATON RAPIDS, Mich — Michigan State Police brought their Teaching, Educating, and Mentoring School Liaison Program into Eaton Rapids classrooms Thursday for the first time, adding a new component that pairs officer training with student engagement in a partnership that school leaders say benefits everyone involved.
- Michigan State Police expanded their TEAMS program Thursday, bringing officer training into real Eaton Rapids classrooms for the first time.
- Officers from across the state presented targeted lessons to various age groups and answered student questions.
- School leaders say the new component benefits both officers learning to engage with students and students learning from law enforcement.
The program mainly trains School Resource Officers and community service officers to better engage with students. Rather than practicing in a mock setting, officers from across the state gathered to present targeted lessons to various age groups and answer student questions in real classrooms.
WATCH: Michigan State Police expand school liaison program into Eaton Rapids classrooms
Community Service Trooper David Skorka said the program is designed to build comfort and confidence for officers who may find classroom settings unfamiliar.
"Cops, we're trained to go to danger and do those types of things, but to bring a police officer in front of a group of kids can be terrifying for them. The program is all designed to get them comfortable with that, public speaking and getting in front of the classroom getting in front of the kids," Skorka said.
Superintendent Kevin Dufresne said the program also creates a valuable opportunity for students to see law enforcement in a positive light.
"I think sometimes when they see law enforcement right away it's something bad, and this is not bad it's an opportunity to learn together," Dufresne said.
Dufresne said the classroom visits gave students a chance to connect lessons to real-world situations.
"Much of learning is problem solving, and part of that is how we solve those problems, when we have those disagreements on the playground, so hearing that from another voice and how that applies to everyday life is a great opportunity," Dufresne said.
"It's just a great partnership and it's always good to be first in good things," Dufresne said.
Michigan State Police said they hope to bring the program back to Eaton Rapids next year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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