Richfield to Host 3rd Year of Teen Police Academy

The third year of the Richfield Teen Police Academy kicks 0ff at 10 a.m. Saturday at . The event aims to be an educational experience while building trust between law enforcement and kids.

The event will include a variety of things, including: Q&A session with Richfield Public Safety officers, a personal safety segment, a discussion about Internet safety and other planned activities.

“It’s a great way to get youth and the police interacting to build trust,” Amy Dusek, community liaison with , said.

There will be two sessions: Feb. 12 is for kids in Grades 6-8 and Feb. 19 is for those in Grades 9-12.

While the two session will feature much of the same information, there will be some variation:

• The first event will feature a visit from the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) narcotics division. The SIU will talk about drugs, the laws pertaining to drugs and show the students real drugs confiscated from street dealers and criminals. There will also be a demonstration from their drug sniffing dog, Izzie.
• The session will feature a DWI presentation with MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). The presentation will involve a frank discussion and include speakers Adam Gadach and Adam Lunn; one who has been the victim of a impaired driver (Gadach) and the other who was an impaired driver (Lunn).  The students will also have the opportunity to experience inebriation with specialized “drunk” goggles that will give them first hand experience with a field sobriety test. Additionally a crashed car that was involved in a drunk driving accident will be on display outside the school.

Other activities will include a first ever Q&A session with officers, a personal safety segment, an Internet safety segment—which is a major concern for many parents right now— and will also meet some members of the Richfield K-9 unit.

The event is sponsored by the Richfield Public Safety Department, Richfield Police Multicultural Advisory Committee, (JCPP), Hennepin County and other area businesses.

The registration deadline for Feb.12 has passed, however registration for Feb. 19 goes until Feb. 17. To register for the 19th, see the attached fliers in both Spanish and English.