Teen Police Academy provides hands-on law enforcement experience | WTAQ News Discussion | 97.5 FM · 1360 AM

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — 20 students at the Green Bay Police Department's 24th annual Teen Police Academy got an up-close experience with officers to learn the ins and outs of police operations.

“It might spark interest, and they might become law enforcement officers later,” said Jon Nejedlo, GBPD training manager.

“I think having a little bit of knowledge about why law enforcement does things can also help promote a good community balance by saying, 'Hey, these officers aren't doing this just because, but here's the reasons why,'” he added.

After going through an application process, students were given an overview of the role of a police officer.

On Wednesday, students learned about gun safety and learned proper handcuffing and striking techniques used by the Green Bay Police Department.

High school student Brody Fischer said, “I didn’t think we would actually shoot guns, it was very cool.” » He aims to work in law enforcement after college.

“It seemed like a good idea to learn more about law enforcement units and different agencies, and I thought it would help me decide if this was a good career path. ” He continued. “So far it’s given me a lot of good ideas.”

Another participant, Hope Horkman, a freshman at Preble High School, said she was drawn to the program by looking for a job.

“I think it's mainly the idea of ​​knowing what types of jobs are out there and in law enforcement, given that I've been told that people are looking for officers of all shapes and sizes ” she said.

The students had the opportunity to tour the Brown County Jail and the Wisconsin State Patrol, and they will visit the Brown County Sheriff's Office on Thursday.

The last day of the Green Bay Teen Police Academy program is June 20.

Applications for next year’s program will open next spring.