Six Liberty High School students spent part of Friday afternoon, Oct. 24, practicing how to read a Miranda warning to a suspect they may someday arrest.

They are the six students who made the cut for the schools advance law enforcement class.

This is part of Liberty Highs unique pilot program for students interested in law enforcement careers. The Law Enforcement and Correctional Officer Program is the only one of its kind in Texas and will place these students with local police agencies several days a week to help with office and administrative work, while giving the kids a chance to see firsthand what police work is really all about.

We hope it will be a model for other districts to follow, said Capt. Ken DeFoor of the Liberty County Sheriffs Office.

A couple of years ago DeFoor had spoken with Liberty Highs law enforcement teacher, Terry Higginbotham, about a possible scout explorer program, but Higginbotham then thought he could do something more.

Higginbotham said Liberty ISD Superintendent Dr. Cody Abshier has encouraged the development of vocational education for students not wanting to go to college, and part of this new programs purpose is to prepare students for career in corrections right after high school.

Higginbothams own preparation for teaching law enforcement classes was mostly that of hard experience.

After 30 years with the City of Pasadena Police Department, having been stabbed, fired upon twice, and having had his shoulder dislocated in a struggle with a suspect, Higginbotham decided at the age of 51 that he had had enough of policing and retired.

Within a couple of years he then decided he had had enough of retirement and was ready to go back to work. At just the right time, Assistant Superintendent Randy Gunter came along with a request that Higginbotham take a position at Liberty ISD teaching their law enforcement classes.

Liberty High School began this new program last year with the approval of the Texas Education Agency and the cooperation of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The school has the help of the Liberty County Sheriffs Office, the Hightower Unit north of Dayton, Bridgehaven, CASA, the County Attorneys Office, and the County Court-at-Law, along with a few other agencies to provide students with a good, hard look at the real world of law enforcement.

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Liberty HS students see real world of law enforcement