Jenn Werges has worked in law enforcement for 30 years, mostly with the Eureka Police Department. Now, she is focusing her efforts on training the next generation of officers at South Technical High School in Sunset Hills.
“When I go back to my department, I tell the policemen this job is a walk in the park compared to being a teacher,” said Werges, 50. “I’m always thinking of ways to inspire (the students). I’m constantly thinking about these kids and what I can do to keep them excited, because when they graduate, they’ll be 18, but they can’t be police officers until they’re 21. How can I keep them wanting more?”
Werges began teaching law enforcement courses for junior and senior students in the fall. Her classes are an introduction to policework, covering things like writing reports, self-defense, navigating conflicts and investigation techniques. Werges said students who complete the course will have certifications in first aid, CPR and emergency telecommunications, and they will have had a slew of hands-on training experiences.
Jenn Werges
Werges meets with students from 7:45-10 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the focus is on physical training, and there are lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Chantal Chandler, marketing administrator for the St. Louis County Special School District, said after the law enforcement course, students return to their home high schools to attend classes.
“What I always admire about the students at Tech is their home high school may not start until 8 or 8:15 a.m., and when they choose to come to Tech, they’re making a commitment to start school earlier,” Chandler said. “I want to give them their props, they’re extra smart and extra dedicated because of it.”
Chandler said students apply to South Tech to receive hands-on training in career areas such as cosmetology, nursing, carpentry and the culinary arts. She said students apply at the beginning of their sophomore year, and when accepted, they split their time between South Tech and their home high schools during their junior and senior years.
South Tech is scheduled to hold a St. Louis County Apprenticeship and Career Pathways Showcase at Eureka High School from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 24.
Werges said her law enforcement students are interested in a variety of career paths, including joining the military and becoming a lawyer or an emergency dispatcher.
Werges said her years of instructing in the DARE program while working as a school resource officer in the Rockwood School District prepared her to teach at South Tech.
“I loved teaching, and I had great relationships with all my schools,” Werges said. “When they did away with DARE, I was the school resource officer already, so I just took a more full-time role. I was able to still be with the kids in that capacity, but not in the classroom.”
Werges said she helps with Eureka Police’s public relations, reaching out to various organizations to provide officers for outreach events. She also helps organize annual department events, such as Tip a Cop, Shop with a Cop and the Law Enforcement Torch Run.
Werges said she will leave the Eureka department in 2025 to fully dedicate her time to South Tech.
While her time with the department is coming to an end, she said her relationship with the officers is far from over; her husband, Capt. Mike Werges, plans to run for chief of police in 2025.
Learning curves
Werges said she is working to earn a graduate degree in education from the University of Central Missouri with the support of South Tech.
“When this opportunity came about, I didn’t think I had a chance, mostly because I didn’t have the experience of being an official teacher,” Werges said. “As it turns out, they (South Tech) look for experience, and they’ll help you with the education part.”
Werges said teaching from a textbook isn’t her style, and she works to make lessons as hands-on as possible. She has students make presentations, act out scenarios and takes them on frequent field trips.
Werges said she values feedback from her students and her lessons are flexible enough to incorporate their input. She said her students typically jump at the opportunity to practice community outreach in real life. In December, students from her class volunteered to be part of the Eureka Police Department’s Shop with a Cop event.
“I mentioned Shop with a Cop and all of these kids said they wanted to do it,” Werges said. “That’s what’s different about kids today; they are so much more willing to be involved and be a part of things because they want to build those relationships. It makes me so excited about their future and future generations of law enforcement.”
The junior law enforcement class at South Technical High School is instructed by Jenn Werges, standing on far right.
Evelyn Zemper, 16, a junior at Webster Groves High School, said helping during Shop with a Cop was an eye-opening experience and helped enforce the importance of building relationships in law enforcement.
“It was interesting and fun to get to know the people we were with a little bit more,” she said. “I had a kid, her mom wanted her to pick out clothes, especially, and necessities. You know that there are people out there who are less fortunate than you, but you don’t always see it.”
Junior Emma Cady, 16, also a junior at Webster Groves, said Werges’ class allows students to build strong relationships with each other that will extend past high school.
“You can tell (Mrs. Werges) really does care about us and makes an effort,” Cady said. “She cares and likes what she does.”
No ‘I’ in ‘team’
On the morning of Jan. 11, anyone walking past Werges’ junior class might have done a double take, as they saw students acting impaired from drug use or defusing a dispute over tomato plants.
Werges said acting out scenarios helps build students’ confidence and cements concepts they read about in textbooks.
One student group acted out what they could and could not make someone do when they pulled them over for reckless driving.
Another group acted out a scene about a property line dispute. By the end of the scene, the two make-believe neighbors agreed to a deal mediated by the police to share the disputed piece of land and the harvest from the tomato plants on it.
Students say they’re learning that communication is key in law enforcement.
“(The scenarios) were mainly to display the knowledge that we’ve learned through the chapter and put it into practice, and show Mrs. Werges that we know what we’re talking about,” Zemper said.
Werges said she loves the scenarios for learning purposes and team building and that she’s fortunate to have students willing to put in the work.
“It’s exciting because you want kids who mesh and you want kids who are willing to be a team,” Werges said.
Chandler said students build strong relationships with each other and their instructors at South Tech because of the unique nature of the coursework.
“Each program has its own little family that forms,” she said. “They’re meeting kids that they never would have had the opportunity to meet because they’re from all over St. Louis County. They’ve got some pull in them that wants to serve others.”
Werges said her main goal is to have students continue on the law enforcement track.
“I want them to want to go in this field because this field needs good people,” Werges said. “This field is like teachers. We’re struggling to keep teachers, and we’re struggling to keep police officers. If there’s anything I want for these kids, I want them to be successful, and I would love to see them successful in law enforcement.”