Only three-quarters of the way through Grade 7, Krystina Lemieux already knows what she wants to do with her life.
“I want to be a police officer when I grow up,” she said confidently yesterday, just before going through an obstacle course that police recruits use to train. Along with 19 other children aged 11 to 16, Lemieux donned a police uniform and is completing a week-long junior police academy.
She won the opportunity after writing a 250-word essay expressing her desire to attend.
“I love the way police run and move very fast,” she said. “It would be a great career.”
Lemieux’s friend Nikole Motley, 12, isn’t sure she wants a career in policing, but even if she doesn’t choose that path she said she now knows how to be an officer.
“It’s a great experience,” Motley said.
Sixteen-year-old Ryan Guss is now a little closer to fulfilling his dreams after being in the junior police academy.
“I have great respect for the Calgary Police Service,” Guss said. “I can appreciate the core values. So far they have shown us some great exhibits and what they can do.”
Const. Rob Patterson said the week-long event creates a definite bond between youth and police.
