Madison Randles with Officer Patrick Nolan of the Fairfax County Police Department use a DUI Convincer at last summer’s program to show how consuming alcoholic beverages impairs judgment when operating a motor vehicle. Photo courtesy of Herndon Police Department
Teens who have wondered what it is like to be in a police officers shoes: this is the summer program for you.
Herndon Police Department is running its second summer Youth Police Academy from July 7 to July 11 for those curious about criminal investigations, traffic enforcement and safety.
“They get to participate in ride-alongs and they get to see some of the stuff that the public doesn’t get to see,” said senior HPD officer Denise Randles. “It’s a little taste of what law enforcement is all about.”
Anyone between 14 and 17 years old can participate in the free program. She said it is for older teens to help guide them into a potential career path.
“These kids are going into high school,” said Randles. “By now, they should be making good choices and finding a career path.”
The program used to run in the school year, with one class every week. However, since holding the weeklong class during the summer, the program had best retention rate in its history.
“A lot of the kids dropped it, because the program was so long,” said Randles. “We held all 14 students last year, which is really big for us.”
The program’s limit is 20 students. As of last week, 10 students had signed up. Signups will continue until June 30.
Students will get to use a DUI convincer, a tool that shows how much alcohol impairs vision, will learn about the canine unit, ride in a patrol car and watch a town court case.
Other topics that will be covered are computer crimes, traffic enforcement, evidence collection, forensics and careers in law enforcement.
“We are a very community-oriented policing department when it comes to the public’s trust, and that goes towards juveniles, too,” she said. “The other reason we have this program is because sometimes, young adults question why police handle things the way they do. By coming here and being around us, it could give you a different outlook on public safety.”
Joseph LaRosa, a freshman at Herndon High School, said he signed up for the program last year because he was interested in pursuing criminal justice. He is now considering making it his major when he goes to college.
“It was really fun,” he said. “We got to talk to police officers about their job. It’s so cool. I know I keep saying that, but it’s something that any teenage guy would love.”
He said he would recommend the program to anyone.
Although the program is free, teens interested in the program have to fill out an application. It can be found at http://herndon-va.gov/Content/public_safety/CrimePrevention/Youth_Programs/Youth%20Application%20Form%202014.pdf.