COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado Springs police chief believes there is a lack of trust within the community, especially with young people.
That's why Chief Vasquez wants to hear from high school students about city issues and safety. It's through his Youth Advisory Council.
Chief Vasquez is looking for 40 students from various backgrounds. He invites students from public, private, charter and home schools to apply.
Applications are due online by Sept. 10th. There will be an information meeting for interested students and parents/guardians on Wednesday, Sept. 4th at 6 p.m. at the Police Operations Center located at 705 S. Nevada Avenue.
The council had 18 students from ten different high schools last year.
"It's so much fun, we got to go to the training academy, I would not pass, I would not be able to be an officer, but it was so fun seeing what all goes into that," said Pine Creek High School senior, Saffran Stevens.
The council started in the middle of last school year.
"I was really interested in law enforcement, not so much of the arresting people side of things, but more so the law side," said Stevens.
Chief Adrian Vasquez said he wants to better represent high school students in the community.
"[For] the chief of police to be able to just like be willing to talk to a high school kid like me and being like what do you think, what do you see, that just means a lot to me because I know that like sometimes high school kids are underestimated," said Vista Ridge High School junior, Avery Romney
Students met with the police chief every month. They learned about dispatch operations, forensics and experienced police training simulations.
"What do you think your biggest takeaway was," I asked. "A lot more goes into a police department than you realize," said Stevens.
Romney said the council helped her realize officers are people too, "rather than like the scary person that walks around and tells people what to do.'
And that means the world to high school resource officer A. Marrs.
"The persona of the police is we're all scary, we do bad things but it is really nice when you can be that positive interaction so that maybe if [students] do need to talk to somebody in the future, they can talk to them comfortably," said Officer Marrs.
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