DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Dozens of high school students from Eaton and Clinton counties put their law enforcement skills to the test Thursday at Lansing Community College's west campus in a competition designed to train the next generation of officers.
- Students competed in real-life scenarios including warrant arrests, traffic stops, formation drills, and physical fitness tests.
- Volunteer officers from departments across Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties graded student performance.
- Clinton County RESA won this year's competition.
Students competed in real-life scenarios including warrant arrests, traffic stops, formation drills, and physical fitness tests, with volunteer officers stepping in as suspects and grading student performance.
WATCH: Eaton and Clinton county students compete in law enforcement training challenge
Owen Jones, from Clinton RESA, and Melina Morrison from Eaton RESA were among the students who competed.
"It's a lot of hands-on work, you're actually going out there and learning different things."
Jones described the range of challenges students faced.
"And we just go through warrant arrests, traffic stops, we do formation, and then we go do a physical test."
Morrison spoke to the atmosphere of the event.
"It's super fun and you get to meet all these people and you're all just here for the love of the law enforcement class."
Students trained alongside current officers from several departments across Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties. Jones said the experience is directly preparing him for a future in law enforcement.
"I want to be a cop sooner or later in life, so learning these things from these cops helps me a lot so that when I get to the academy I'll actually know what I'm doing."
The county with the best overall score wins the competition.
"We've got a plaque trophy that gives them bragging rights for a year."
Frank Medrano, the Eaton RESA law enforcement and criminal justice instructor, said this is the 13th year of the competition. He said it has grown into a valuable opportunity for both students and the volunteer officers who participate.
"It's not just exciting to me, but it's for the students they actually get to do networking with these other agencies — and the agencies from all over, get to come and explore and see their future."
Jones said the training and competition ultimately come down to wanting to make a difference in the community.
"Definitely serving a purpose into the community, I want to help people out, just add an impact and make the community a better place."
Clinton County RESA won this year's competition.
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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