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Rappelling down 40-foot buildings to crime investigations, girl scouts are learning skills from first responders

Published

2 years ago

June 22, 2023

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A group of 24 girl scouts got the opportunity to work firsthand with first responders, learning the ins and outs of the job and picking up some of their skill sets.

Camp Fury STL is helping the future of the force while empowering girls.

Multiple Missouri police and fire agencies supported the camp, but the St. Louis County Police Department and Wellston Fire were the ones who taught the girls about public safety skills. Through the agencies, the campers are learning everything from search and rescue skills, crime scene investigation tactics, and confidence-boosting through adrenaline-driven activities such as aerial climbing, rappelling, canine tracking, and even extinguishing a live fire.

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On Wednesday, the Scouts left their saddled site at Camp Fiddlecreek to take on some work at the St. Louis County Police Crime Lab. It covered over 60 municipalities; the team at the crime lab taught techniques in digital forensics, firearms and tool marks, fingerprints, arson, explosion, as well as DNA recovery.

According to Julie Kronable, a forensics scientist at the facility, experiencing what happens in the lab gives the youngsters a chance to see a different side of the industry.

“I loved science, I didn’t necessarily want to be out on the streets, but I get to still deal with criminal justice and be a part of that, make a difference,” she said.

Kronable said people don’t always think about the investigative work that isn’t done in the field.

“The girl scouts are going to get the opportunity to come spend the afternoon as if they were a forensic scientist,” Kronable said.

Thanks to Camp Fury, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri are rappelling down a 40-foot building, extinguishing fires, and learning crime lab skills.

“It’s such a cool experience that nobody else gets to participate in,” said one of the girl scouts who’s been a part of the Camp Fury experience for two years.

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“To see their confidence build and their questions, and interactions, it really reminds us of what we do and builds our confidence too,” Kronable said.

The first responders’ goal is to recruit more women, and the feedback from one 14-year-old girl learning about arson and explosives has only fueled the interest.

“This has always been on my list of possible careers to go into,” said a girl scout.

From observing confiscated evidence and lots of recovered guns, these young teens have many questions.

“How do you deal with the mental aspect of this? How do you go through this as a person and see all this trauma, all this suffering?” said one scout.

Now, they’re hoping to inspire other girls.

“I feel like I really grew into myself and my character,” said one of the teens.

Once you build up the mindset, Kronable said it’s time to “jump in all the way.”

Come Friday, the girl scouts will graduate from camp, walking away with techniques and skill sets of local first-responding agencies.

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Man attacks Jeff Co. deputy with screwdriver during attempted arrest

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.

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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.

Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.

Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.

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St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to be sworn in

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2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.

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Gas tanker crashes into St. Louis Metro transit center

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.

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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.

A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.

The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.

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