WDM Teen Police Academy

The first West Des Moines Teen Citizens' Police Academy was held in June, and received great reviews! The Academy is modeled after our existing Citizens' Police Academy, which has graduated seven classes so far. It was designed to provide young people in our community the opportunity to learn about the Police Department and its operations and have fun doing it. It provided some valuable information for students interested in law enforcement careers as well. Our Police Department especially saw it as a chance to open up another channel of communication with our young citizens.

The students, all between 13-17 years of age, were required to be enrolled and attending a school in West Des Moines or one of the three school districts in our city, or to live in West Des Moines. They needed at least a 2.0 grade point average and a background check. The class was just five sessions completed in the mornings for one week. Teens learned about patrol and vehicle stops, evidence collection, the K-9 unit, the taser and other defensive tactics, what it takes to become a police officer, firearms, and Emergency Response teams, among other things. Several police officers participated in the instruction, which ended with a pizza party and graduation ceremony.

We have some great young people in our community! These teens were respectful and very interested in the operations of the Police Department. They will be excellent resources and spokespeople among their younger crowds for the officers in our department.

More good news--we already have parents and teenagers asking to sign up for next year!