Everett Junior Police Academy Heads To The Port Of Everett For Training On The Water

For more than a decade the Everett Police Department has held a Junior Police Academy for one week during the summer to give middle and high school students in the greater Everett area a hands-on look at police work.

The program has traditionally been held at Eisenhower Middle School in south Everett and that is again the location this year except for today when the 28 students and their instructors headed to the Port of Everett.

“Unlike many police departments, Everett has its own specialized Marine Unit and we wanted to make sure the students were exposed to the opportunities we have here,” said Everett Police Spokesman Aaron Snell. “We want to immerse them in a different view of what police officers do.”

There were five stations set up for the students including scuba diving, boating safety and on the water enforcement duties that included a trip out into Port Gardner Bay aboard an Everett Police Boat.

In addition to the three marine operations there was a station where students worked on close order drills and another where they got hands on with equipment used by the SWAT team.

The students rotated through the various stations getting a chance to become familiar with the five topics of the day.

The students are selected for the annual academy by school resource officers from Everett and Snohomish County.

Just like the regular police academy these students have physical fitness programs, field drills, classroom work and a lot of hands on training.

Tomorrow and Friday it is back to Eisenhower Middle School for additional skills training including crime scenes, building searches, interrogation and a visit from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s helicopter.

A formal graduation ceremony is set for Friday afternoon.

Here are some MyEverettNews.com photos from today.

Click photo to enlarge.