Stafford County Sheriff's
Junior Deputy Academy
The Stafford Sheriff’s Junior Deputy Academy (JDA) is designed for children who have an avid interest in Law Enforcement and are eager to learn more from deputies who work in their community. The academy is designed to provide a basic understanding of what deputies do through educational hands-on activities and experiences along with classroom presentations. This program focuses on the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office core values: Professionalism, Fairness, Compassion and Integrity, encouraging each participant to continue to practice these values long after they ‘graduate’ from the program.
Gwyneth’s Gift Foundation Director of Operations, Kathleen Steininger, has first hand experience with the JDA program from her time working at the Stafford Sheriff’s Office. This connection, and a meeting at DARE Day 2021, put everything in motion, and for the second year in a row, Gwyneth’s Gift Foundation was asked to come train Junior Deputies during their week at the Academy. This Summer, we trained over 50 kids during a two week period.
Rising 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th graders received Hands-Only CPR training and learned how to use an AED. This training provides these kids the knowledge, confidence and skills to stay calm in a medical emergency and help someone in need. We value our partnership with Stafford County Sheriff’s Office and look forward to training many more Junior Deputies in the future.
