WCCC Protective Service Instructor Mike Noe asked Youngsville Police Chief Todd Mineweaser and Officer Ben Leach to give a presentation to his morning and afternoon classes.

Protective Services is a two-year academic instructional program where students receive training and information in the judicial system, equipment operations, emergency assessment, and emergency treatment. They also have the opportunity to understand the importance of wellness and fitness.

The officers spent time in the classroom explaining Pa. Title 75 Sec. 6308, which provides police the authority to make traffic stops and write traffic citations, according to Mineweaser.

Officers discussed the difference between probable cause and reasonable suspicion, Mineweaser said.

Photo submitted to the Times Observer Youngsville Police Chief Todd Mineweaser and Officer Ben Leach recently spent a day instructing and demonstrating the how and why of traffic stops and DUI arrests to students in the Warren County Career Center Protective Services class.

Reasonable suspicion is seen as more than a guess or hunch but less than probable cause. Probable cause is the logical belief, supported by facts and circumstances, that a crime has been, is being, or will be committed.

The students also learned what tests are conducted during a DUI stop and how to safely approach a vehicle during the day and at night.

There was also the opportunity for students to be on the receiving end of a traffic stop and learn what they should do. “We made traffic stops with them portraying the officer and some were the traffic violator,” Mineweaser said. “It was a fun day. They asked a lot of questions.”

WCCC students in the Protective Services class are able to achieve certifications in CPR, AED, First Aid, Telecommunications, and Basic EMT. The goal of the Protective Services Program is to develop professional attitudes, values, and confidence necessary to perform entry level duties within the justice or private security system.