Hickory Teens And Cops Come Together

HICKORY, N.C.,None — Hickory police officers spent the week hosting the third annual Hickory Parks and Recreation Youth Academy.

The program is designed to build the bond among the officers, the community and youth, said Sgt. Erica Heath of the Hickory Police Department.

The 16 participants range in age from 12 to 16 years old and represent a wide variety of backgrounds. Male and female, homeschooled and public school students, and teens from across Hickory are participating.

The youth who applied to attend the academy were chosen to attend. They applied through the Hickory Police Department.

"It's a very diverse group," Heath said. "This is an opportunity that some of these kids have never had."

Heath worked with Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins to design the program.

"I just like getting to know the officers and what they do," said D.J. Helton, 14, who has attended the academy each of its three years. "I've gone on some ride-alongs with Sgt. Heath."

The program is designed to mimic the discipline and structure police candidates undergo during basic law enforcement training.

"I'm looking into working in the criminal justice field – maybe crime scene investigation," said Josh Grise, 15. "We learned that most of the stuff on TV isn't real – like the equipment that they use."

Master Police Officer Mike Crisp led the teens in their physical fitness training including a 1.5-mile run and a variety of calisthenics during the program.

On Wednesday, the youth watched a demonstration of the department's K9 unit. On Thursday, they learned about the SWAT team before Crisp delivered a presentation on gang awareness.

"I like seeing how the officers do their jobs. Today the SWAT team cam, and we learned about the missions they go on like home invasions and missing people – things like that," said Catlynn Myer, 16, who's attending her third summer in the academy. "It's way better than sitting home and doing nothing."

When Crisp finished his presentation, the teens went canoeing and fishing in Lake Hickory at Geitner-Rotary Park.

Several local businesses including Chick-fil-A, Backstreets Bar and Grill and Lazy Dog Smokehouse and Saloon donated food for the teens throughout the week.

"It's a free program," Heath said.

WSOC