Police chopper lands at Long Island high school as cops take over campus for career day
A Long Island high school was transformed into a scene straight out of a movie set Monday, complete with a makeshift police academy and dramatic chopper landing to mark First Responder Career Day.
A Nassau County police helicopter theatrically touched down on Roosevelt High School's field as students crowded the landing zone — eagerly capturing the memorable moment on their phones.
'This has never happened before, we've never had a chopper land on our campus before,' said Dr. Shawn Wightman, the school district's superintendent.
Cops quickly took over for the day. K-9 units joined the festivities, while mounted officers let kids pet their horses and answered questions about training and patrol work.
'It was a great opportunity for students to see what law enforcement and first responders do for a living and see … it as an option for a career,' Wightman said.
The event gave students a front-row seat to the criminal-justice field, with teens checking out everything from fingerprinting kits and emergency medical gear to forensic nursing tools.
They were also introduced to the prospects of a career path beyond being a cop — including crime-scene analysts, probation officers, court officials and forensic nurses.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who stopped by the event, told The Post the goal was two-fold: To show kids there's a bright future in public safety, and to help bridge the gap between young people and law enforcement.
'They get to see the police in a different light,' Blakeman, a Republican, said.
The goal seemed to be reached — with many students admitting the experience opened their eyes to possible career paths and changed their perspective of police.
'It was really nice to get together as a community of students and see that there is safety in the community we live in,' student Gabriela Gamez said.
Another student, Takyia Wilder, said she was now intrigued to learn about the field of forensic nursing.
The event was part of a broader push to expose students in underserved communities to real-world careers and give them a chance to engage directly with professionals — walking away with a better sense of what's possible post-graduation.
'We questioned, 'Why don't we have more diverse law enforcement?' Blakeman said. 'It's probably because they don't know the opportunities that are available.'
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