Happy They Gave It a Shot

The officer pulled over a young man for a traffic violation. Something didn’t seem right.

On the surface, nothing looked abnormal. But then he checked out a soda can in the vehicle.

The can was filled with marijuana.

Knowing the tricks that criminals use, and developing a strong street sense, help make someone a good police officer.

And those lessons were passed on to youngsters this summer during the first ever Junior Police Academy.

August has barely started but School Resource Officer Al Hulbert is already looking ahead to a second summer of hosting the program, which was held this summer by the and the

The week-long program was open to youngsters ages 12 to 14. They learned about SWAT teams, crime scene investigations, drug enforcement work and other aspects of policing.

Hulbert hopes they also learned an important lesson for everyone, whether or not they will be entering the police force: Police officers are there for them.

Hulbert in particular stresses this message. As the school resource officer for the Grafton schools, he serves as a resource for young people.

He wants them to know they can always come to him with problems and questions. They can also let him know things anonymously if they are hesitant to share personal information or knowledge they may have about potential criminal activity.

Bella Thornton, who attended the program, described it as a “really cool experience. Normally, you don’t get to hold an M4,’’ she said, referring to the weapon.

Alex Louiseau liked the opportunity to don SWAT gear. “Most of the gear seems light, but it’s pretty heavy,’’ he said.

Now that she has experienced aspects of police work, Thornton said the work would be “kind of cool’’  to pursue as a career.

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