PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — It takes your kids to work day!
To celebrate, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office brought in one hundred of their little ones to find out if they have what it takes to be in law enforcement.
"I would tell him when he was younger, you just wait until you're old enough you can come to work with Mommy and enjoy your day like the other kids," Ramona Schaefer, PCSO Program Services Supervisor, said.
Ramona Schaefer's son and about a hundred more finally got to see exactly what mom and dad do when they head off to work.
"It's really exciting because they get to see their parents or their parent's coworkers in an element outside of just them taking their uniform on and off," Verliz Williams, a PCSO PIO, said.
The kids got up close and personal with the forensics department. They got the chance to look inside the patrol car. They even got to spend time with their four-legged coworkers.
"I know he wants to be a firefighter, and that hasn't changed. But he did say police officer when he was three years old, so maybe this might lead him over on the law enforcement side after this afternoon," said Schaefer.
Following in their mom and dad's footsteps would be an added benefit of the day.
Like many other careers, law enforcement has seen more people quitting.
In 2021, 145 deputies left PCSO.
And while it's too early to recruit the 8-14 year-olds participating, the kids who are interested could get involved with the Explorer's Program once they turn 14.
"We really do promote that while they're here. If they're really truly interested, and a career in law enforcement or even in the support field, they can absolutely go into the explorers and have a little bit more in-depth type of education and experience," said Schaefer.
Whether it leads to the next generation of law enforcement or it's just a fun day for the kids, PCSO is excited to showcase what they're all about.
