Chicopee Police partners with Boys and Girls Club for Youth Police Academy

CHICOPEE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) — With children out of school during the summer, a local police department is offering special training for young people in the community.

“Oh, I love it. This is probably a really good decision I made,” said Chris Bates of Chicopee.

Monday marked the start of the Chicopee Police Department’s week-long Youth Police Academy, which offers children in the community their first glimpse into the day-to-day work of a police officer. In partnership with the Chicopee Boys and Girls Club, teenagers like Bates learn something new every day about being a police officer.

“I’m learning how the police interact with the community. I’m learning how things work internally and how they operate and operate. I’m building good relationships with the officers and so on,” Bates added.

On the first day, participants had the opportunity to watch a police drone demonstration and see how a Chicopee police helicopter and fire truck work. This is the sixth year the program has been held and over 40 children ages 13 to 17 have signed up for this year’s program. Bates told Western Mass News that the lessons learned here will help him in the future.

“I plan to join the Air Force eventually. Proving to myself that I can live that life helps prepare me for it,” Bates explained.

The youth academy offers numerous courses and activities for the rest of the week. The graduation ceremony takes place on Friday.

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