Hey kids, want to make your friends jealous about what you did on Saturday? Sign up for the Junior Police Academy hosted by the Dallas Police Department.

The next session of the Basic Junior Police Academy will be held May 10th at the Dallas Police Department Basic Academy – the very same academy at which all Dallas police officers are trained. The Junior Police Academy is open to kids in the 4th through 10th grades. The Basic Academy groups the 4th through 7th graders together while the Advanced Academy is for the kids in 8th through 10th grades. Applications will be accepted beginning on April 8th. There will be an Advanced Academy early 2015.

The Junior Police Academy is a one day session comprised of both classroom lectures and hands on instruction taught by both active duty officers and civilian volunteers. The classroom topics include Gang Intervention/Substance Abuse, Consequences of Criminal Behavior, How to call 911, and Family Violence Awareness. During the hands on sessions, students are given the opportunity to ride in the squad car on the police training course and to navigate the Police Obstacle Course. Students have the opportunity to interact with a Chief all the way down to rookie officers currently enrolled in the Dallas Police academy.

In order to apply, each student must attend a Dallas area school and be in good standing with that school, submit a completed application and pass a criminal history check. The application form, available April 8th, as well as an FAQ sheet, can be found on our website http://www.dallaspolice.net. Classes fill up quickly, so please register as soon as possible!