Third Graders Become Sheriff For A Day

Tuesday morning, Sheriff James Woodruff and the Troup County Sheriff’s Office once again hosted third grade students from each of local elementary schools for their Sheriff’s For a Day program.

The day is the conclusion of this year’s Junior Deputy Program that was taught in each elementary school.

The event is ran by program coordinator, Sergeant Stewart Smith, who visits each of the schools at various times and teaches the students four important safety lessons: being safe at school, being safe at home, bicycle safety and finally saying no to drugs and alcohol. For the Sheriff for a Day event, the students are chosen by their teachers to be the student to represent their respective school.

The students were selected by the school to participate in the event as a reward for good behavior and academic achievement. Each student was picked up by a deputy and brought to the Sheriff’s Office where they were given a tour of the office and jail facility, toured the mobile command truck, saw a K9 demonstration and viewed of our new patrol cars.

From there, the students toured the 911 center and many other officers at the government center including a quick lesson on criminal justice by District Attorney Pete Skandalakis and finished the day with a pizza lunch, certificates, and ride back to their respective schools.

“The Jr. Deputy program is important because it allows us to reach every third grader within the Troup County School System by teaching them four basic lessons, being safe at school, being safe at home, bicycle safety, and saying no to drugs and strangers. This is also a way for us to be a partner with the schools and its staff. Each of these students were excellent representatives for their schools,” said Sheriff James Woodruff

Tommy Murphy
Staff Writer