HOULTON, Maine — A group of high school students stood before Justice Alan Hunter in Houlton District Court May 22, but it was not for breaking any laws.
The students, who are part of the Region Two School of Applied Technology’s Law Enforcement class, were serving as jurors, police officers and bailiffs as part of the end-of-year mock trial.
“Students use the knowledge gained from the year to investigate a crime, this year an OUI, and take it to the end result, court,” explained instructor Dave Socoby. “Justice Alan Hunter, Assistant District Attorney Kurt Kafferlin, Attorney Richard Rhoda, volunteer Tony Michaud and court clerk Diane Glidden all volunteered their time to help. To actually get on the stand with the real participants is invaluable to their training and can’t thank them enough for their time.”
Hunter, Kafferlin and Rhoda each explained how a trial is typically conducted, so that the students gained a greater understanding of the judicial process.
Students from East Grand, Hodgdon, Katahdin, Southern Aroostook and Houlton are represented in the class. This semester, there were 30 students, 15 a day, who attend every other day.
“Some students travel a considerable distance to come to the class and all of them are very dedicated to the program,” Socoby said. “Next year, I most likely will have 34 students and still have a waiting list of students who want to take the class.”
Socoby added every year is a different class with different issues.
“Some are very dedicated to a life career in law enforcement and some are unsure,” he said. “It is my hope that through this program, decision will be made as to furthering their law enforcement career or to decide to go down another path.
“This (program) should save them money and time spent possibly paying for an education that they don’t need or want,” he continued. “I try to let them see what a life in law enforcement would be like as best I can so they can make up their minds as to whether they really want it or not. I try to have as many life lessons built into the program as I can, as well as show them what a police officer does.”
Working closely with the students, Socoby said he has come to form tight bonds with each class.
“One thing that has happened by teaching this class is how attached I become to each of the students,” he said. “Each individual becomes like family and mean very much to me. I still keep in touch with many of the students who have graduated and am tracking their post secondary education and their lives. It is a privilege to be involved in their lives and find I am gaining a benefit from it as much as they hopefully are.”
