IMPD accepting applications for its weeklong Teen Academy
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police has 60 spots available for its free week-long annual IMPD Teen Academy.
The department is accepting applications for its summer camp designed for kids ages 12-24 at Creston Intermediate and Middle School, from June 16-20. The program gives youth a behind-the-scenes look at different units and hopes to foster positive relationships with officers.
Officer Iris Farries with IMPD's Community Engagement and Outreach Program said the environment is laid back and not as militant as people might associate it with policing.
"I get kids at the beginning who are like, 'Blah, my parents made me come here,' but by the end they're being a speaker for the class," Farries told IndyStar. "They might not want to be police, but they've made new friends and connections, and they remember the teen academy."
She said the main goal of the academy is to build trust with young people and offer activities to educate them about the department. Here's what youth can expect out of the academy.
Related: Indy Peace hosts national training for hospital violence intervention professionals
IMPD will host an admin day for youth, parents, and guardians to go over expectations and sign consent forms. The youth will then be taken to tour the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before taking a lunch break. After eating, IMPD will do a presentation on how to interact with officers as part of a "play it smart" initiative. The day will end with some form of PT, whether it be kickball, baseball, dodgeball, or working out.
IMPD will take the kids to visit the Criminal Justice Center to tour the courtrooms before heading back to Creston Middle School to learn about bike safety and ride through a course for them. After lunch, the kids will visit with IMPD Mounted Patrol before ending the day with PT.
Youth will learn about internet crimes against children, featuring a K-9 that assists with finding technology related to the topic. Youth will also learn from the traffic unit and the G.R.E.A.T. program featuring a drug K-9.
If the weather permits it, kids will be a part of the Juneteenth Peace March to Martin Luther King Jr. Park with members from the Indianapolis Black Firefighters Association and the Greater Indianapolis Chapter of NOBLE (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives). After lunch, the kids will travel to the IMPD Training Academy to tour the scenario village, Hersheyville, before touring the Real Time Crime Center.
A graduation ceremony for completing the program will be followed by a dinner with parents and guardians.
The program will be operating from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for the graduation, which will run later into the evening. Parents and guardians will need to provide transportation to and from the middle school.
Applications can be submitted online at shorturl.at/uLBX3
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