CCSO Cancels Annual Junior Deputy Academy Due to COVID-19 Concerns

Comal County Sheriff Mark Reynolds and Comal ISD Supt. Andrew Kim made a “tough call” and canceled the 2021 Junior Deputy Academy (JDA) scheduled for this summer.

The announcement was made April 5 on social media. COVID-19 also forced officials to forgo the event last year. The program is free to Comal County residents ages nine to 11 and features three, week-long camps throughout the county.

“This was a tough call to make,” the Comal County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. “The JDA is an incredibly important program for the Sheriff’s Office and Comal County, but we need to prioritize the health and safety of everyone. We explored several alternative options to try and provide this great experience. However, none of those options presented the ability to provide all the necessary elements of the camp.”

JDA educates preteens about various aspects of law enforcement and encourages role-playing while they learn about “the many dangers” in society.

Children “learn respect for our laws, as well as explanations of the law as it relates to order in our society,” according to information on Comal County’s website.

JDA “opens the door for real dialog between parents and children by candidly discussing the roles of gangs, alcohol, drugs, violence, guns, loss of sef-esteem and the need to establish important goals for the teen years.”