Colton Police Department CART Academy graduates at-risk teens

On Tuesday, December 18, the Colton Police Department graduated 21 students from the Colton At-Risk Teens (CART) Academy.

Since its inception, the CART Academy has graduated 243 students…over the course of 10 academy classes.

“We had many parents in the audience at Tuesday’s graduation ceremony. It is awesome to see how proud these parents are to watch their child up on stage recognized for positive change. At the graduation quite a few parents even came up to us officers, to thank us for the changes their child has made,” said Colton Police Department Sergeant Rob Wilson.

“The CART Academy is designed to introduce at-risk youth to discipline, guidance, and career development. The program is a Boot Camp environment that runs for 16 weeks and meets on Saturday’s from 8 AM to 4 PM,” Wilson said.

The academy allows students between the ages of 13 through 17 to have the opportunity to experience mentorship, career development, positive life tools and resources.

“Through this program, many of the students form a positive bond with law enforcement. Many of the students actually go from being anti-law enforcement, to looking forward to coming out every week and working with us,” continued Wilson.

When students are signed off by their parents to join the CART program, (which is also backed by San Bernardino City Unified School District Police and Colton Fire Department), the officers inspect the students’ homes and gain a feel for who the students are and figure out the steps to take when assisting each at-risk student.

“We really work with these students. We literally break them down and work them back up physically. It’s a boot-camp style. In 16 weeks, almost every student lost weight and every student improved doing push-ups and sit-ups, and finished running a mile in less time,” Wilson said.

CART Academy parents also have the opportunity to attend classes in which they receive tools and resources to assist them in navigating the growth of their child. “All of the officers involved in the CART Academy are so dedicated to these students. I’d like to thank Colton Fire Department, San Bernardino Unified School Police, and Summit Career College for donating a classroom to this program.  Thank you to everyone involved in making the CART program a success,” concluded Wilson.