Lethbridge students try out policing at Youth Police Academy

High school students in Lethbridge are getting the chance to test out what it’s like to be a police officer.

Youth Police Academy, a two-day program, gives students hands-on experience in several different units, including forensic, tactical, K9, criminal investigation and traffic response. The Grade 11 and 12 students watched demonstrations on Thursday, getting some firearm training in the process.

Thirty-four students applied for the program, each including a paragraph about why they wanted to join the academy in their applications. Only 20 out of the 34 were selected, including Taylor Althouse, a student at Chinook High School.

“My dad was a police officer,” he said. “I remember being really young and going to his graduation ceremony and ever since I figured out what he did, I’ve always wanted to be a cop.”

The second day of the program will be in Calgary on May 16, 2019. It will be a full day of training, lasting about 18 hours. The students, dressed in police uniforms equipped with duty belts, will travel to Heritage Park and run through scenarios that officers deal with on a daily basis.

For some students, the training doesn’t end at the Youth Police Academy.

“We have one cadet in our training class right now as a police officer who was a participant in this program five years ago,” Darby said.