Junior Police Academy to start soon for children 5 to 12
Published 10:00 am Friday, May 27, 2022
- Backing the Junior Police Academy: In front, from left, are Cpl. Stephen Doyal and Capt. Stacy Shirey of Valley Police Department; Blair Cho, GFA Transportation's chief financial officer (CFO) and Lt. Sandra Crim, who directs the Junior Police Academy; Police Chief Mike Reynolds; Lily Kim, GFA accountant; and Sgt. Michael Hadaway of VPD. In back are GFA team members Lacey Maxwell, Molly Yang, Tonya DuBose, Teresa Butler, S.J. Jung, Tim Park, Jay Kim, and Hyunjoo Kim. Photo by Wayne Clark.
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VALLEY — School Resource Officer Lt. Sandra Crim is making preparations for this summer’s Junior Police Academy. It will be taking place the week of June 27 through July 1 at Valley Community Center. The daily sessions will start at 8 a.m. and will continue until around 3 p.m. EDT. A graduation ceremony will take place on Friday. It’s for children in the 5-12 age group. Information on how to register is on the Valley Police Department Facebook page.
Each class of Junior Police Academy cadets learn how their community is protected by first responders. They are visited by firefighters, paramedics and police officers who talk to them about the work they do. They also get to see how skilled drug dogs are in locating illegal drugs that have been hidden for them to find. The children experience the excitement of seeing a helicopter come in for a visit. During last year’s Junior Police Academy, the cadets got to see a demonstration on what the LifeFlight helicopter crew can do in saving the lives of injured people and getting them to a hospital very quickly. Officers with the Valley Police Department showed them how they operate a drone, and representatives of Chambers County Juvenile Court organized a mock trial for them. Thursday was a fun day in the Community Center pool.
“Children love this program,” Crim said. “Some of them get here an hour before it starts. They can’t wait to take part in what they will be doing that day. It’s fun, and they learn a lot. We are working on having some new things this year. The older children should like it.”
The children are provided breakfast and lunch each day and there are snacks and drinks available throughout the day.
Donations are now being accepted from local businesses and individuals who support the Junior Police Academy.
On Thursday morning, GFA Transportation donated $1,000.
Donations are also being accepted in support of Miss Nettie’s Sunflower House. This is located near the Valley Housing Authority area off Boyd Circle.
“We will be having our summer program,” Crim said. “This will be taking place from 8 a.m. till 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. When school is in session we have an after-school program at the Sunflower House.”
