The Snohomish County District Court South Division welcomed over 700 fifth graders from the Edmonds School District into its courtrooms Thursday for the court’s 36th annual Law Day event.

The event is possible thanks to dozens of volunteers that include South District Court staff and judges, local law enforcement and attorneys, representatives from Snohomish County DUI & Target Zero Task Force, and teachers and parents. Each year, they come together to address fears and confusion that local youth may have about law enforcement and court procedures.

Judge Jeffery D. Goodwin said that following COVID, the court was undergoing many changes and staff wondered if Law Day was worth adding to the chaos. “We had an internal discussion as to whether we wanted to continue doing that,” Goodwin said. “And to a person, they unanimously said, ‘Yes. We love this. We want to do this again.’”

Goodwin added that beyond what’s visible on the actual day, there is an impressive amount of background work required to make Law Day happen. This includes the court shutting down for a day, which means that all the other agencies involved have to coordinate their calendars to accommodate the event. “It’s a huge legal community involvement to do all this,” Goodwin said.

The event consisted of three sessions split into four parts: A Q&A with state troopers, a mock trial, a public safety presentation and a K-9 demonstration.

During the police Q&A, Washington State Patrol Lt. Chris Caiola and troopers Kelsey Harding, Chris Kirschner and Luke Visser fielded questions ranging from, “Do you like doughnuts?” to “What’s the worst case you ever saw?” The officers responded to questions in a thoughtful, age-appropriate manner, informing students about the realities of law enforcement. 

“It is by far the funnest community event I’ve participated in,” said Caiola, who has been volunteering at Law Day for over 20 years.

Attorneys Yelena Stock, Omar Nur and Lucas McWethy oversaw a mock trial to increase students’ awareness of the criminal justice process. The suspect, Frank Student, was portrayed by a child in a Mario costume and was tried for petty theft. After a brief deliberation, a jury of his peers found the suspect not guilty, a verdict that filled the courtroom with applause.

The event’s public safety program was led by Snohomish County DUI & Target Zero Task Force Manager Stacey McShane and South County Fire’s Community Outreach Manager Shawneri Guzman. McShane and Guzman reminded students why seatbelts are important and also offered tips on how to be safe passengers, pedestrians and cyclists.

Outside, the kids were able to see what many had been looking forward to all day: The K-9 unit.  K-9 Koda executed a drug search with handler Trooper Patrick Williams. Then, under the command of handler Deputy Joshua Holmes, Doc showed off his powerful bite. 

Before returning to their buses at the end of the day, students had the opportunity to board law enforcement vehicles, view a crashed car and watch surveillance drones piloted by Edmonds Police Department officers.

Despite having a lot of information thrown at them, the kids were still buzzing as they pulled away from the Snohomish County South District Court. So it’s safe to say the 36th Law Day was a success. 

Organizers Rachael Greenlee and Renee Navlet can now breathe a sigh of relief — until six months from now, when they begin planning next year’s Law Day.