It was spring of 2025 when a Truman Middle School sixth grader asked Kay Blase, the school’s School Resource Officer (SRO), about what it takes to be a police officer. That conversation drove Blase to create Truman’s first Jr. Police Academy — an afterschool club where middle schoolers can explore specialized units in the police force.
“The middle school has a bunch of clubs that the kids can sign up for. They have a workout club, they have an environmental club. They even have Dungeons & Dragons and chess,” Blase said. “They have all these things you can sign up for, but they don’t have anything for law enforcement. So I went to the school and said, ‘Hey, if I can make this happen, would you be okay with that?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, that sounds cool.’”
A visit from a police helicopter from Metro Air Support — the helicopter support unit that services St. Louis city, St. Louis County and St. Charles County — was first on the specialized units list. On the day before Truman’s spring break, the chopper touched down in the school parking lot.
Students had the chance to ask the pilots questions about the helicopter, such as, “Do you always catch the bad guys?” Blase said the pilots, as they left, did a last flyover with the siren that left students gawking.
“They explained everything about (the helicopter),” Blase said. “They were super nice. The kids would ask funny questions and they’d answer them in the best way they could. The kids were really interactive with it.”
According to Blase, 39 students signed up for the Jr. Police Academy. She believes it’s a strong showing for the club, which is still in its infancy.
“I’m just giddy about it,” Blase said. “I’m so excited that they’re excited about it.”
As someone in the force, Blase says she is eager to make connections with students and provide an example for good police work. She also says that law enforcement numbers are low, and she’s glad to be generating interest.
“I love the interaction they get to see with police,” Blase said. “The whole goal is to stop the thought that we’re out there to be bad. We really care about them, and we want everything good for them. That’s why we’re police officers. That’s why we get into law enforcement — to help people.”
Blase is the first SRO to come from the Crestwood Police Department. Courtesy of Crestwood police and Chief Jonathan Williams, each student was given a free club T-shirt to wear on club days.
“I’m so proud to be Crestwood’s first SRO and to start a Jr. Police Academy,” Blase said. “I’m super proud of the kids, and I’m grateful to my department for their support and Lindbergh for their support.”
Next up, Truman middle schoolers in the Jr. Police Academy will get a visit from a bomb and arson squad on April 2. After that, visits include a crime scene unit on April 9, a K9 unit on April 16 and finally a tactical unit — entailing SWAT, BearCat vehicles and drones — on April 23.
