Junior Police Academy lets kids peek at life in law enforcement

Aug. 27, 2019 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

WEST SPRINGFIELD – When learning to be a police officer, it’s not uncommon to see recruits marching, running obstacle courses, and learning how to use police gear. It is uncommon, however, for the recruits to be under 5-feet tall.

West Springfield children entering grades 4 to 8 got to experience first-hand what it’s like to be in law enforcement during the 2019 Junior Police Academy. The program, now in its third year, is a joint project from the Police Department and the Parks and Recreation Department.

“The goal is to show them what police officers do,” said Officer Eric Johnson.

To that end, Johnson said, the kids go through physical training, marching, and defensive tactics using a punching bag on the first two days of the week. They get to use a radar gun, do building searches, and try fingerprinting. They also learn about the K-9 unit and about how the fire department works with the police.

On Wednesday, the children take a field trip to Amherst to navigate a ropes course and on Thursday, they are teamed up and sent to a mock crime scene or accident. On Friday, the junior officers graduate and have a light lunch to celebrate, Johnson said.

The academy is split into two week-long sessions. Generally, Johnson said, kids entering grades 4 to 6 in the fall attended the first week, from Aug. 12 to 16, while rising seventh and eighth graders took part in the Aug. 19 to 23 session. The course ran Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the West Springfield High School.

“We’re thrilled to be able to partner with our police department to offer such a great program to our community,” said Victoria Connor, director of West Springfield Parks and Recreation.

Johnson was inspired to create the Junior Police Academy when he learned a friend’s children were doing something similar in New Jersey. Johnson hopes kids take away lessons from their experience.

“I hope that they have a better relationship with officers,” Johnson said, and that they learn about “working together as a team.”

This year, Gina Duncan’s two youngest daughters, 11-year-old Kelsie Duncan and 9-year-old Emily Duncan, participated in the Junior Police Academy, or as they called it, Police Camp.

Kelsie said it was different than she thought, but “I actually really enjoyed it.” Her older sister, Mia Gasperini, is a counselor working with the Junior Police Academy, which made her more confident about taking the program.

“The girls were hesitant to take the camp, but they talk a lot about what they learned,” Gina said. 

“I learned that we have to defend ourselves if we’re in danger,” and how to “march around in formations,” Emily told Reminder Publishing.

Gina said she knew the things that the police would teach would be age-appropriate. “I think it’s important for our kids to know the police are there to help them,” she added.

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