The Royal Oak Police Department is always looking for ways to engage the community while also imparting knowledge, and there’s no better way to do that than to start young – with seventh and eighth graders specifically – at the department’s summer Youth Academy.

The program debuted last summer, and was considered a success, with 30 kids participating. It returns this year July 21-25, with its continued aim being to teach leadership, teamwork, decision-making, integrity and physical fitness.

The week-long program will also provide insight into the daily responsibilities of police officers. Participants will be supplied with two t-shirts for the duration of the program, and daily lunches are also included.

The seed that planted the idea to bring this program to Royal Oak came from a few different sources. One was Chief Mike Moore’s daughter, who had attended a similar program in a neighboring community. Another was Officer Jessica Reece, who heard about the program and took the initiative when it came to getting the Royal Oak version up and running.

She, along with four other Royal Oak police officers, took on the task of wrangling a bunch of 12- and 13-year-olds, and while they expected to be the ones doing the teaching, they learned some things as well.

For instance, middle school kids like snacks. Like, a lot.

“They eat a lot of food,” said Sgt. Spangler, laughing. “We had 90 bags of chips that they ate up the first day.”

“We learned not to put out a week’s worth of snacks all at once,” Chief Moore concurred.

But besides the kids’ ravenous appetites, it was apparent on the first day that the kids themselves didn’t know what to expect, and they were pretty reticent at first. But that soon changed.

“I greeted them on the first day, when they all filed in, and you could hear a pin drop,” Chief Moore said. “They all had blank looks on their faces. I came back after lunch and I couldn’t hear myself think. It seemed like the kids were already forming relationships and friendships.”

The kids further bonded by participating in the Youth Academy’s activities. One of the most popular exercises was the drunk driving demonstration, which was simulated by having the kids drive golf carts while wearing “drunk goggles”.

“They learned firsthand what the effects can do to their vision,” Sgt. Spangler said.

The kids were also able to see the canine officers doing a “live track”, where they give them a scent and the dog tracks it, in addition to learning about different traffic stops in the ROPD’s garage, and hearing detectives talk about investigations.

Participants also learned CPR from the Royal Oak Fire Department.

The week started off with a “field trip” to the Troy Gym, where the kids were able to do rope courses and other workout routines similar to what police officers do as part of their training.

Both the kids and the instructors had fun. But the most important thing is bridging a gap between the public and law enforcement, while imparting some education along the way.

“Hopefully the kids come away from the experience with friends, and skills they can use for a lifetime,” Sgt. Spangler said.

Oh, and if the academy yields some future police recruits, that wouldn’t be so bad, either.