A renewed respect between students and police officers

Last year, students at Lockport Township High School in Joliet formed the Student Equity Action Committee.

That led to the students wanting to “build positive relationships between the school and law enforcement communities,” according to a news release from Lockport Township High School.

So after a conversation between Lockport Police Chief Terry Lemming and LTHS Superintendent Robert McBride, the Student-Police Forum was formed. Four sessions were held over the 2020-2021 school year.

In the news release, McBride explained why he supported the concept of hosting these forums.

“Teens and police rarely have an opportunity to get to know each other in thoughtful situations,” McBride said in the release. “The purpose is to build mutual understanding.”

So in November, the SEAC and the Lockport Community Outreach Officers Jeren Szmergalski and Kevin Brauch first met virtually to discuss their jobs, the demands, the challenges and police culture, the release said.

Subsequent forums included school resource officers. Discussions centered around “news headlines, events involving police, the importance of equity training, social media, mental health, use of force and safety issues,” the release said.

The fourth and final forum consisted of Crest Hill Mayor Ray Soliman, Crest Hill Police Officer Heidi Outlaw, Lemming, Brauch, approximately 13 SEAC members, and LTHS staff members and administrators.

“There’s definitely a significant amount of work that still needs to be done,” LTHS senior Alisha Thomas said in the release. “But as students, we’re hoping that these local forums will serve as a way to model the sense of empathy between law enforcement, community members and youth that we hope to see on a national level one day.”