The Cabot Police Department continues to take a proactive approach in an effort to build positive relationships with area youth, including those with special needs, with its Junior Police Academy Program.
Approximately 120 cadets have graduated from the program, which started in 2017 and accepts up to 20 applicants for each of the two week long academies.
One week is set aside for fifth- and sixth-grade students in the Cabot School District and the other reaches out to seventh- and eighth-grade students.
There is also a one-day program for students with special needs, who have medical or developmental issues and are unable to take part in the five-day camp.
“These programs are a way of giving back to the community, helping build key character traits in our future leaders, and maybe even spark future interest in law enforcement or public service,” said Sgt. John Dodd, who is also Cabot Schools resource officer. “We want kids to see that police officers are approachable and can have fun too.”
Junior officers get exposed to a variety of duties performed by police officers, starting with a swearing-in ceremony on the first day.
Cadets will tour the department, jail and communications center, and learn about the different types of officers and their duties.
They also view a day in the life of an emergency and 911 dispatcher and receive firearms demonstrations from the Special Operations Response team.
Work done at crime scenes is also introduced, from developing and lifting fingerprints to police photography and how to search for evidence.
Cabot police have partnered with the Arkansas Attorney General’s office, the Arkansas State Crime Lab, Little Rock Bomb Squad, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Arkansas State Police bomb Squad, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Cabot Fire Department to provide guest speakers during the five-day sessions.
In an effort to build lasting relationships, cadets who graduate from the junior academy are considered alumni and are encouraged to participate in the Junior Police Academy Alumni Association to do volunteer work in the community. Seven such events have been held since March of 2018.
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