NEW POLICE PROGRAM ALLOWS TEENS TO LEARN `RIDING ALONG'

In the next few weeks, Cape Girardeau police officer Brian Ritter plans to spend part of his off-duty time driving groups of teen-agers around in a patrol car while explaining the ins and outs of the criminal justice system.

"Our department has contact with students throughout the elementary grades, but in junior high and high school that contact decreases -- if not stops completely," said Ritter.

"I wanted to start a program where our department can offer teenagers a chance to observe what the department does every day."

So Ritter went to Police Chief Howard Boyd Jr. and asked to begin a ride-along program for teenagers, with the consent of the department and the teen's parents.

The department currently has a community ride-along program. Residents can fill out a waiver at the police station to ride with an officer, usually during an evening shift. Southeast Missouri State University's criminal justice department also has a ride-along agreement with the department.

But when college students or other interested people ride with the officers it usually is done on an individual basis, with the person riding with the shift sergeant, a traffic officer or in a zone car.

Ritter plans to take groups of three or four students at a time in a patrol car while off duty, so that he and the students are not restricted to the boundaries of a particular zone.

"There's a couple of reasons I wanted to take them out in groups," Ritter said. "First, it will give more kids an opportunity to ride along.

"Secondly, teenagers might feel more comfortable asking questions or riding around with a police officer in a patrol car if they are with other teenagers," Ritter said.

During their ride-along -- which Ritter hopes to be able to do on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 7-10 p.m. -- Ritter will respond to calls other officers are dispatched to and will explain to his riders what is going on at the scene.

"At no time will the students ever leave the patrol car when we are out on the street," Ritter said. "I'm going to take them to a variety of calls without putting them in any danger."

When not chasing calls, Ritter will give the teenagers a tour of the police station and show them the location of the Common Pleas Courthouse and the Federal Building, while explaining the difference between the state and the federal legal systems.

Teens also will be given a brief orientation to the police equipment, including patrol cars, traffic motorcycles and equipment used by the department's Special Response Team.

"I expect the students will ask a lot of questions. I'll try to answer them as best I can," Ritter said.

After the ride-along is over, students will be asked to fill out a brief questionnaire concerning their ride.

"Their feedback will help us change the program to best suit the students," Ritter said. "It will also let us know what they're paying attention to, what they enjoyed and what they didn't."

Ritter said he wanted to target high school kids with this program because they are at a susceptible age, making daily decisions which can positively or adversely affect the rest of their lives.

"Kids in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades often face an extreme amount of peer pressure and can be very susceptible to bad influences," said Ritter. "Hopefully, after a teenager has gone on a ride-along, they will give certain situations which could lead to trouble a second thought."

But there are other reasons for the program, too, he said.

"I grew up in Cape Girardeau and attended Cape Central High School," Ritter said. "I remember some of the misconceptions people had about city police officers, what they do and what happens every day on the streets.

"Sometimes kids say things they really don't mean based on something they don't understand," he continued. "That's what we're trying to change."

For the time being, Ritter will be the only officer taking the teens on ride-alongs.

"Depending on the number of people interested and the success of the program, we may expand it to include more officers," Ritter said. "A lot of officers have expressed an interest in the program."

Students who want to participate in the ride-along program for teens can pick up applications from their high school office, or at police headquarters at 40 S. Sprigg.

A parent must sign the release form before the student can be considered for a ride-along. After the teen has been approved by the department to participate in the program, Ritter will schedule a time slot.

Ritter already has approached the Young Life group at Central High School, whose members will be his first riders.

"The teenagers I've talked to seem pretty excited -- it should be a lot of fun," Ritter said. "Hopefully this program will act as a deterrent -- for prevention purposes rather than for correction purposes."