Officer Robert Nava and Officer Mark Bechtold were in the commons on Wednesday, April 24th, recruiting for their new cadet program for ages 14-21 starting the first Tuesday of June. With them was a thermal camera drone to help catch kids’ attention in hopes they would come to talk to them about their new program.
“We really wanted to get back in the community, and we wanted to develop that strong relationship [between] the police and the youth, and then we wanted to encourage youth, that would be interested in policing, to really help train them for that so that they could be best prepared to do it,” said Bechtold.
The program meets twice a month to help train future officers in law enforcement. Students get uniforms, go on ride-alongs, and learn about police work while working alongside officers in the field. Some of the many things students learn are processing evidence, defensive tactics, traffic stops, and DUI’s and crash enforcement.
Bechtold, one of the officers, was a graduate of Prospect High School and an officer for 26 years. He dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but after realizing that was not realistic due to his skill level, he got into policing.
“I loved police shows and just getting to talk to police officers and realized that would be an opportunity to really help people. The big thing for me was people who were victims of bullying, and that had a big impact on me as a kid. Then, growing up, I wanted to be able to help others who had been victimized and bullied, so this is a perfect job for that,” said Bechtold.
Bechtold believes this program could be really useful for students interested in this field because it teaches you right from wrong and responsibility. It also helps you stay mentally and physically fit. It also happens to be a great way to gain experience as well as stand out on college applications and resumes.
Being a cop is a great job. However, according to Bechtold, it’s not for everybody, but it’s still a great career path to consider. There are lots of personal benefits, like helping people, and physical benefits, like pensions and good pay to raise a family.
“If you’re passionate about [police] and you really want to help people … and justice is very important to you, then it’s definitely something to consider, “ said Bechtold.
Nava, the other officer helping recruit cadets, has been a member of the Mount Prospect Police Department (MPPD) for 15 years and got his Remote Pilot Certificate (part 107) in June of 2022 from the FAA after his department offered free training.
To obtain his license, he had to learn a condensed version of what pilots learn, including weather, night operations, and airport operations, which is a lot of information.
Nava wanted to learn how to operate the drone because it can be helpful in missing person cases.
“I saw the benefit of the drone and how helpful it can be to us whether it be looking for missing kids, or looking for missing senior citizens… who are suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s or something like that who walk out in the middle of the night,” said Nava.
Drones are especially useful when they need to cover a large area quickly or when searching in a dark location.
Overall, the cadet program is a useful organization to train the next generation of law enforcement.
The last day to enter applications is the first Tuesday in June.
“I just think [that] policing has come under fire a lot recently and over the past few years, so it’s really important for us to generate interest in this noble profession and try to get the best recruits we can,” said Bechtold.
