Police Hoping To Keep Kids On Positive Track With Camp Cadet

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's not often that you see a motorcycle escort for a bunch of kids on bicycles. But these aren't just any kids. A select group of 64 youngsters arrives on the North Shore as part of the 11th annual Camp Cadet.

It's the Allegheny County version of week-long camps sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Police.

Trooper Robin Mungo says it's one of 27 Camp Cadets across the state. She says it's a community effort.

"It's a great collaborative of multiple police agencies, and it's about reaching out to the community, young people, ages 12 to 14," said Trooper Mungo. "This is the age where they're most impressionable, so we want to make a good impression. We want them to know that we're people of the community."

They concluded the 12-mile trek from Camp Guyasuta at the Law Enforcement Memorial on the North Shore. Among the activities, they will witness Pittsburgh's River Rescue team in action.

"We have a lot of fun activities for them," Trooper Mungo adds. "But they understand there's a mission. We stay on task, and the mission will be accomplished when they graduate on Saturday."

She says these kids are at an age where they can go one way - or the other.

"We want them to stay on a positive track. We want other kids to see that they are positive," said Trooper Mungo. "They are the leaders. And that's what we're hoping to pull out of them. We all have it in us. It's how we pull it out, and use that."

A total of 600 boys and girls in Allegheny County have graduated from camps like this over the past 10 years.

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