The Zionsville Police Department held its 13th annual Teen Police Academy June 5-9. The academy is designed for youth between the ages of 11-15, offering a glimpse into the world of law enforcement and how it operates.
The free one-week academy, which is made possible by a grant through the Drug-Free Boone County nonprofit, includes hands-on instruction in crime scene investigation, formation drills, physical tactics, firearm safety, bike patrol, internet safety and much more.
ZPD Capt. Drake Sterling oversees the academy each year.
“The teen academy is set up like a simulated training academy that we (ZPD officers) attend,” Sterling said. “The officers at the Zionsville Police Department attend a 16-week Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, and we condense that and make it applicable to the kids.”
Throughout the week, 40 participants are immersed in various activities, learning valuable skills and knowledge under the guidance of school resource officers from Zionsville Community Schools.
SRO Sgt. Elizabeth Frost at Zionsville Middle School helped organize this year’s academy.
“SRO’s build relationships with these teens throughout the school year,” Frost said. “The teen academy gives us the ability to continue building on that relationship outside of school, and it gives the teens a closer look at the training their SROs attend while continuing to build onto the foundation that started in the schools.”
The Boys & Girls Club of Boone County in Zionsville partnered with the ZPD to provide transportation for the teens using its minibuses.
“Bike patrol is the second day of the academy,” Sterling said. “We take the teens down to the Indianapolis North District with the minibuses, for a mountain bike skills course. They provide the bikes to the kids.”
One of the highlights of the academy is the collaboration with the Special Response and Crisi Negotiations Team, allowing participants to witness firsthand the lifesaving work of officers through interactive demonstrations.
One of the participants this year was 11-year-old Ben Garrett.
“I really liked getting to see all the different things the police do for us,” he said. “We got to tour a police car, ride mountain bikes and visit the police station.”
Sterling said the academy can be a source for recruiting future officers.
“We started seeing some of the kids that had attended the academy years ago start to apply to become police officers,” he said. “I think that’s pretty cool. Some of them have become police officers in other areas.”
Wanted: Police officers
The Zionsville Police Department serves approximately 28,000 urban and rural residents over 67 square miles with an authorized force of 43 full-time, sworn officers. Personnel are assigned a variety of positions, including patrol, investigations, special investigations, police partners and more.
The ZPD is accepting pre-applications for the position of patrol officer.
For more, visit zionsville-in.gov.
