The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office’s Camp HERO 2023 concluded on Friday, Aug. 4, with a police theme and a graduation ceremony. Awards were given out to campers and a counselor during the ceremony. Shown are award winners along with presenters. From left: Front — Senior Ironman Award winner Jalen Tash; Junior Ironwoman Award winner Kiira Peterson; Sheriff’s Award for Excellent Camper winner Isis Vuittonet; Senior Ironwoman Award winner Victoria Vuittonet; Jeffery B. Shaw Leadership Award winner Landyn Kolmos; Junior Ironman Award winner Caleb Wilson; and Phil Hochstetler Counselor of the Year Award winner Jail K9 Officer Caleb Snyder; back — Warsaw Police Officer Paige Wood, who presented the Ironman and Ironwoman awards; KCSO Cpl. Andrew Hochstetler, who presented the Phil Hochstetler award in honor of his father, late KCSO Detective Sgt. Phil Hochstetler; Warsaw Police Officer Nick Shaw, who presented the Jeffery B. Shaw award in honor of his father, late KCSO Sgt. Jeffery B. Shaw; and Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office’s Camp HERO 2023 may have concluded Friday, Aug. 4, but plans are already in place for next year’s event.

Camp organizer KCSO Cpl. Justin Smith and Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith shared that news after the camp’s graduation on Friday night at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds.

“The dates are locked in for next year already,” said Justin Smith. The camp should occur around the same time next year at the fairgrounds.

“I think we had a really good week,” said Justin Smith of this year’s camp. “It was jam-packed everyday. The kids did great. I know it was hot. They were tired. We were tired, but we all made it. We all did it together.”

“We added some new things this year that I think went really well,” he added. “The adult Slip ‘N Slide challenge I think was one of their favorites. I’m still a little sore today, but we made it happen.”

“Justin did a terrific job (with the camp),” said Jim Smith. “I can’t reiterate enough, just walking around throughout this week and just seeing all the different (police) agencies and the different emergency services coming and working together.”

“There are a couple of times I about got emotional,” he continued. “We had a dive scenario today, that encompassed several agencies to make one dive team, and they just knocked it out of the park just like they did with everything else this week. It’s just humbling and exciting to see all the smiles on all the kids’ faces. If they didn’t go home tired this week, my message to the parents is, I don’t know what else can be done because they ran hard, they played hard and they sure had a good time.”

During the ceremony, Jim Smith thanked his predecessor, Sheriff Kyle Dukes, for creating Camp HERO in 2019. He also thanked Justin Smith for putting together this year’s camp and gave him a certificate for his efforts.

Jim Smith also thanked the camp’s other volunteers.

During the ceremony, awards were given out to those who’d excelled in the camp’s Ironman and Ironwoman competition. Those presented by Warsaw Police Officer Paige Wood went to Jalen Tash, Victoria Vuittonet, Kiira Peterson and Caleb Wilson.

Jim Smith presented the Sheriff’s Award for Excellent Camper to Isis Vuittonet. Warsaw Police Officer Nick Shaw presented the Jeffery B. Shaw Leadership Award, in honor of his father, late KCSO Sgt. Jeffery B. Shaw, to Landyn Kolmos.

KCSO Cpl. Andrew Hochstetler presented the Phil Hochstetler Counselor of the Year Award, in honor of his father, late KCSO Detective Sgt. Phil Hochstetler, to KCSO Jail K9 Officer Caleb Snyder.

Following the ceremony, kids and their families enjoyed dinner, with each camper getting a free treat from Kona Ice. There was also a touch-a-truck event, with Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, the Kosciusko County Highway Department and more having vehicles to view.

Earlier in the day, campers participated in police-themed activities. Kids practiced storming a building after learning about the KCSO SWAT Team, discovered what impaired drivers see by donning special goggles and heard about life for inmates, among other things.

Smith speaks during the ceremony.

Campers recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the ceremony.

Camper Leyton Allen, left, shoots an airsoft gun at a target Friday with the KCSO’s Matt Holderman overseeing.

Nappanee Police Officer and Student Resource Officer Kris Hershberger, right, chats with campers about gun safety.

KCSO SWAT Team members from left, KCSO Detective Sgt. James Marshall, KCSO Reserve Officer and Lutheran EMS paramedic Ken Allen; and KCSO Cpl. Andrew Hochstetler, show campers how they enter a room or building.

Campers practice storming a building with fake guns.

Campers could test driving through a course on a golf cart. KCSO Public Information Officer Sgt. Doug Light, left, rode with Adeline Denton.

Evelyn Pickens sees what impaired drivers’ vision is like by donning some special goggles.

Campers could ride on a seat belt enforcer, through which they were strapped in, sent down a ramp and jerked to learn about the importance of wearing the apparatus. Here, Grady Leininger, right, gets ready to try it out. With him is KCSO Deputy George Tubbs.

KCSO Jail K9 Officer Caleb Snyder, left, and Jail Officer Keaton Schopf talk with kids about how meals work for inmates in the jail.

Snyder, left, KCSO Jail Officer Brandon Ewing, center, and Schopf demonstrate to campers the size of jail cells.

Kids participate in a team exercise to learn how dispatch, police and other first responders must work together to respond to emergencies.