Millbrook children got a chance last week to see what it's like to be in law enforcement at the annual Millbrook Junior Police Academy.
“We are just like real people,” Cpl. Kristen White said. “We hope it helps them realize encounters with police are not bad. With this camp, they get to see what we do in almost every part of the job.”
PHOTOS: Millbrook Junior Police Academy
Cliff Williams / TPI Millbrook Middle School faculty member Jeremy Schultz, second from left, readies himself to be tased at the Millbrook Junior Police Academy Friday.
Cliff Williams / TPI Millbrook Police Department Lt. Stephen Youngblood shows the probe of taser that enters the body and helps delivery a shock to help subdue suspects.
Cliff Williams / TPI Millbrook Police Department Lt. Stephen Youngblood shows the probe of taser that enters the body and helps delivery a shock to help subdue suspects.
Cliff Williams / TPI Members of Millbrook Junior Police Academy pose for a photograph after the session with a taser.
Cliff Williams / TPI Students in the Millbrook Junior Police Academy got where bullet proof vest and duty belts as they spent the week experiencing life as a police officer.
Cliff Williams / TPI At the Millbrook Junior Police Academy students looking at restraints such as zip ties and handcuffs.
Cliff Williams / TPI Campers at the Millbrook Junior Police Academy finished a morning session using pool noodles as batons and wiffle balls as tasers as students played law enforcement and the bad guys.
Cliff Williams / TPI Campers at the Millbrook Junior Police Academy finished a morning session using pool noodles as batons and wiffle balls as tasers as students played law enforcement and the bad guys.
Cliff Williams / TPI Campers at the Millbrook Junior Police Academy finished a morning session using pool noodles as batons and wiffle balls as tasers as students played law enforcement and the bad guys.
Cliff Williams / TPI Campers at the Millbrook Junior Police Academy finished a morning session using pool noodles as batons and wiffle balls as tasers as students played law enforcement and the bad guys.
Cliff Williams / TPI Campers at the Millbrook Junior Police Academy finished a morning session using pool noodles as batons and wiffle balls as tasers as students played law enforcement and the bad guys.
Cliff Williams / TPI Campers at the Millbrook Junior Police Academy finished a morning session using pool noodles as batons and wiffle balls as tasers as students played law enforcement and the bad guys.
Cliff Williams / TPI Campers at the Millbrook Junior Police Academy finally got a chance to get away from the cops as officers donned pool noodles and wiffel balls.
Cliff Williams / TPI Campers at the Millbrook Junior Police Academy finally got a chance to get away from the cops as officers donned pool noodles and wiffel balls.
In just a week students got a chance to see how police investigate a crime, complete with a crime scene. They were coached through traffic stops and experienced physical training.
“They did bear crawls, push-ups and more,” White said.
Students saw mace and tasers in use too. School staff lined up to be a target for Lt. Stephen Youngblood and his taser. They knelt down, locked arms and waited.
“Taser, taser, taser,” Youngblood said before pulling the trigger of the yellow taser.
Three students felt the shock including Jeremy Schultz. Moments later he was recalling the experience for the nearly 30 students gathered at Millbrook Middle School for the junior police academy.
“At first it felt like a paint ball hitting me,” Schultz said. “Then the electric shock came. My body just froze up.”
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Youngblood picked up the spent probes and wiring and showed them to the children. He explained the wire for the unit he used was green.
“It allows us to see it and prevents us from getting shocked in the process,” Youngblood said.
Children then got to play a game as Youngblood set up a course with a police station and “streets.”
The campers divided into their teams and took turns defending the station, acting as police officers while some students were acting as “bad guys.”
They used wiffle balls as tasers and pool noodles as batons.
“If you get hit with a wiffle ball, you have to pause for three seconds,” Youngblood said. “If you get hit with a baton, you are out of the game.”
The campers got a chance to hone their skills on both sides of the law. Then Youngblood partnered with two coworkers and took on the entire group.
“This is tiring,” Youngblood said. “I will sleep well tonight, but it has been worth it to interact with the youth.”
