Penn Hills High School students got their day in court.
Traffic court.
A group of students in the district’s Students Against Destructive Decisions organization were invited to Judge Anthony DeLuca Jr.’s office for mock trials in traffic court. Students were given charges and a scenario a day before heading to DeLuca’s office to plead their case.
The students’ charges were made up, all part of a program to teach teens what happens when it is real.
Maria Hernandez, 17, was handed the most severe charges and had to defend herself after being accused of driving under the influence.
“It’s a lot of pressure walking in here, being in front of the judge and sitting here by yourself,” she said.
Hernandez, a junior, is a new driver. She said the exercise helped her learn more about traffic laws and left her feeling more prepared on the road.
“There was one law that they talked about … when construction workers and police are on the side of the road, drivers have to slow down a certain amount,” Hernandez said. “I didn’t know that until we talked about it during one of the cases.”
She called the experience a great learning opportunity. It felt like a safe space where she could ask questions without judgment, she said.
“I do drive, and something I want to learn every day is how to become a better driver,” Hernandez said.
AAA and Allegheny County Pretrial Services sponsored the event.
Each participating student received a citation for their alleged offense. Other cases tried included reckless driving and driving permit violations.
“We really want them to have a real-life experience of what court’s like,” said Terri Rae Anthony, AAA safety adviser. “We try to pick the traffic citations (new drivers) mostly get the citations for so that they know how serious things are.”
Representatives from various law enforcement agencies including state police, the state constable, Allegheny County police and Penn Hills police were present for the exercise. Allegheny County Officer Bobbie Bertalan, who covers community relations and crime prevention, and Trooper Melinda Bondarenka, who handles community affairs for state police with Troop B in Pittsburgh, presented cases during the trials.
“When they’re out there, they’re going to have interactions with other police departments that’s not necessarily where they live,” Bondarenka said.
Bondarenka spoke to students about proper conduct after a car crash, how to handle insurance, traffic laws, court behavior and the proper behavior around law enforcement of all agencies.
“We want to teach them about what’s going on in the courtroom,” said DeLuca, the magistrate for Penn Hills, Verona and Wilkins Township. “If they have any questions about how the police operate or how things go in here, we can answer that for them.”
He opens up his office once a year for the exercise. This is the third year he and the Penn Hills students participated.
Students Against Destructive Decisions, or SADD, is a nationwide program that aims to empower students to make positive choices and to be role models for their peers, promoting a culture of safety and responsibility.
Anthony said the organizations try to host the event with various local high schools before prom, graduation and what she called the “100 deadliest days of summer,” when teen car crashes spike after drivers flood the roads when they’re out of school.
Bondarenka said she hopes the lesson is useful for young drivers in case they ever need to draw on the knowledge from the presentation.
“I don’t recall having that much education on (traffic laws, insurance, etc.),” Bondarenka said. “It was kind of like, ‘Hey, you got your license. Here’s the insurance registration.’ ”