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Community Corner

Police Officer For a Day

Inver Grove Heights youth get a behind the scenes look at what it takes to be a police officer during the city's Youth Police Academy.

“What kid doesn’t want to climb into a police car?” David Steinberg, 19, said to a fellow Police Explorer on Tuesday.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., kids ages 12 – 17 had the opportunity to do just that and a lot more at the third annual Youth Police Academy, which was hosted by the Inver Grove Heights Police Department and the city's Parks and Recreation Department at Veterans Memorial Community Center.

Throughout the day, kids role-play search warrants, traffic stops, and crime investigation as well as tour the police station. Many of the kids see the day as a fun experience, while others use it as a preview for a possible future career.

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“We tried to pick some things that were relevant and fun,” said investigator Terry Kelley, of St. Paul.

“It was cool to handcuff people,” Samantha Church, 13, said.

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The youth police academy is, in part, a precursor to the Police Explorers program, which is open to area residents ages 14 – 21 and offers police training as well as yearly competitions for scholarships, trophies, and other awards.

Tess Novack, 13, signed up for the Youth Police Academy for that very reason.   Novack said she dreamed of becoming a police officer since she was young, and was inspired by the I-35W bridge collapse.

"I’ve always wanted to be a police officer,” she said. “I would love to join Police Explorers.”

She said her grandmother was near the bridge when it collapsed and she received help from police officers.

“They were very helpful,” Novack said. “I really think I could help save the cities around us.”

Kelley led the day with the help of two other officers, Nels Engstrom and Jessica Billmeyer, and volunteers from the Police Explorers program. Engstrom, a Lakeville resident, said the purpose of the academy is to teach kids what police officers do on a daily basis.

“TV is so false in the way they show the profession,” Kelley said.

“We call it the CSI Effect,” said Billmeyer, of Northfield. “They think every crime is solved.”

But the overall purpose, Billmeyer said, is for the children is to enjoy themselves.

“It’s fun,” Kelley said. “I like to see them learn and it’s about kids growing up.”

Novack said the experience reinforced her goals of becoming a police officer.

“It really opened my eyes,” she said. “There aren’t just investigators. There are other things to be done. I think everyone’s really trying to teach us.”

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