Youth Civic, Leadership, and Junior Police Academies

For several decades, it has been an initiative of various governmental agencies to offer intensive summer programs for junior police cadets to learn about law enforcement history, how laws are made, handgun safety, and how to salute and march in formation. This new trend is most evident in the youth activities conducted by federal agencies, local governments, and affiliated organizations. It appears to have been inspired by the growth of junior police and adult citizen police academies in recent decades, but it also has drawn upon the social studies curricula of schools and the early outreach programs of the American Legion. For example, one program is the FBI National Academy Associates, Inc. (FBINAA)’s annual Youth Leadership Program. The nonprofit FBI National Academy Associates, Inc. (FBINAA) organization conducts an annual Youth Leadership Program, an intense 8-day program of classroom study, physical challenges, guest lectures, and leadership experiences. Their summer week-long youth program for high school students ages 14–17 years covers a wide variety of topics designed to enhance student awareness of issues such as cybercrime, cyber bullying, and many more. While curricula vary among the Junior Police Academies, programs often stress the importance of discipline, responsibility, team concept, and physical fitness. This chapter highlights different junior police programs.