Applications open for Montana Junior Leadership Academy

The Montana Association of Chiefs of Police has opened applications for its Montana Junior Leadership Academy this year, with next Friday the deadline to apply.

“It’s a really good learning experience for the kids,” Havre Police Chief Gabe Matosich said.

Montana Junior Leadership Academy is a week-long event from July 7 through July 13, he said. The academy is open for high school students of all ages and allows participants to spend a week at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy in Helena. While the students are there, they will learn leadership skills through a law enforcement perspective, he said.

Students don’t have to have an interest in law enforcement in order to apply, he said — the academy is for building better skills in leadership for the life of students. The academy is completely free and students will sleep, eat and learn at the academy. Matosich added that the only expense of the program to the students is the price of travel to get to the academy.

Classes will be taught by police officers and will include basic training, physical training, driving skills training, shooting skills training, classes in crime scene investigation and other classroom courses, he said. Students will also go on a variety of different hikes and have the opportunity to repel from mountains as well as work on search and rescue skills.

“They are really going to get a good look at the academy and what police officers go through and how they train,” Matosich said.

At the end of the week the academy will have a graduation ceremony, he said.

“Within the week you get to see the kids kind of transform into more of an adult, and learning experiences, it really has a huge impact on them,” he said.

Interested students can go online to http://macop.com/Upcoming_Events.html/ and fill out an application, he said. The application will also include a short essay portion. The essay has a large impact on getting a ticket to go to the academy, he added. Once the student has filled out the application they can bring it to the Havre Police Department where Matosich can sign off on the application before the student sends it to Great Falls.

Last year Havre had one student who was accepted into the academy, Matosich said, adding that because it is a statewide program, having one student accepted is average. Havre usually has at least one or two students accepted.

This year’s space is limited because of on-going construction at the academy, he said. The program accepts 30 students statewide.

“Earlier you get the application in, the better off you are,” Matosich added.

Montana Association of Chiefs of Police is a 401(c)(3) organization, he said, and accepts donations from businesses and private donors. He said the organization pays for everything while the students are at the academy, including backpacks, water bottles and other items they will receive throughout the week, and are always welcoming donations.

People who wish to donate to the organization can contact Matosich at the Havre Police Department.

“It’s a blast, though, the kids have a lot of fun during that week,” he said.