Illinois high school brings law enforcement class to students

VIENNA, Ill. (KBSI) – In small town Vienna, Illinois, big things are happening at the high school. With 318 high school students, this leaves room to explore different areas of instruction.

One of those classes is law enforcement, which gives students a look into the career behind crime.

“The idea behind the class, it’s a basic introduction of law enforcement,” said Vienna High School Resource Officer Officer Carl Manley. “I teach them basic law, I teach them civil law, I try to teach them things that they would use even if they weren’t going to be a police officer.”

Officer Manley also spends his time substituting. Students go over curriculum of interacting with the police, going over current events, watching videos of police work, and assessing what was done right and wrong.

“Students that have taken a class are like, ‘Hey, I think this is a career path I want to go with, how can I go further with it?’,” said Manley.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statics projects that employment of police and detectives is projected to grow 3% from 2021 to 2031, slower than the average for all occupations.