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Hickam Elementary School Junior Police Officers

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Michael Holzworth | Junior Police Officer Micaela Hayes, Noah Easter, Ryan Dague, and Katie Rudolph...... read more read more

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HI, UNITED STATES

01.12.2012

Courtesy Story

DMA Pacific - Hawaii Media Bureau

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - Be safe, be responsible, and be respectful, values service members live by and the same values being taught to the Hickam Elementary School Junior Police Officers.

Hickam Elementary JPOs aren’t much different then their parents who serving our country. JPOs show up to school early and stay late to help protect fellow students who are commuting to and from school in high traffic areas. JPOs perform in military style drill competition and show responsibility by raising the flag every morning and taking it down every afternoon, with honor and respect.

“Safety is one of the primary things we emphasize to the JPOs when they are performing their duties, “ said David Murata, Hickam Elementary School JPO adviser, “just like their military parents the JPOs have to show responsibility when performing their duties while being respectful of others.”

Like our modern military is an all-volunteer force, the Hickam Elementary students volunteer to serve as JPOs.

“I joined because my dad was one when he was a kid and its fun,” said Ryan Dague son of U.S. Air Force Col. Joe Dague, 15th Wing vice commander.

Regardless of the students reasons for joining they receive a better sense of responsibility and personal confidence by being in the JPO program.

“I feel more confident then other people because I get to help keep people safe,” said 10-year-old Micaela Hays.

The JPO students of Hickam Elementary lead the way for their peers and follow in their parent’s footsteps. They help others and learn core values as part of an organization with a tradition of respect, responsibility, and safety.

The JPO organization is the only statewide program of its kind in the entire United States. The organization is sponsored by the Hawaii Police Department and has been a part of Hawaii schools for nearly ninety years.

The JPO organization officially began in 1923 when Sheriff Charles Rose of the city and county of Honolulu swore in sixty-four Boy Scouts of America as Junior Traffic Police Officers and it has now grown to more than 4,600 elementary school students statewide.