![[left] President Mia Garza, Social Media Leslie, Jacquelynn Chavez, Lucero Hernandez, Isabella Leon, Carlos Longoria,Andrea Munoz, Secretary Madison Coats [right].](https://jhsjagjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_9339-1200x800.jpg)
The Criminal Justice Club met on Oct. 1 to begin preparing for the SkillsUSA Championships happening in February. They performed building search drills.
“It’s pretty fun, but I think it’s also important just to get people familiar with law enforcement and stuff,” senior president Kallina Rodriguez said. “I think it’s kind of cool to be able to show people how to conduct a building search. Not everyone can say ‘oh yeah I know how to do a building search’. I think the exposure is really good.”
The club will be taking 12 members to compete in building searches, traffic stops and first aid. They are working towards making regionals.
“I’m proud of my kids, we set a good foundation,” criminal justice teacher Refugio Navarro said. “I know we’re gonna do good this year.”
Building searches involve safely entering a room in groups with false firearms, flashlights, batons, radios and handcuffs, all stored in a police belt. The goal is to locate and arrest all suspects and retrieve their weapons.
“We pretend that we are sweeping the building and we’re trying to investigate what’s happening,” sophomore Aldo Alonzo said. “It’s just intriguing. It’s fun, and you really get to put yourself in the position of a police officer.”
School Resource Officers help oversee drills and instruct students on proper protocol alongside Navarro.
“They’re like the eyes,” Navarro said. “Something I don’t see, you know, they’re very helpful with. Plus we got such a large group that sometimes I gotta split them up. At this time we’ve got 17 official members.”
According to Navarro, students who join the club freshman year usually stick around all four years. Veteran members are tasked with teaching new members.
“We were just going through the steps of how you hold a gun properly,” Rodriguez said. “You know, finger never on the trigger, of course. And then just making sure that they were comfortable walking into the room or walking together as a group and then going into the room in kind of a funnel and being able to search the room effectively.”
