Youths graduate Lynn Police Student Academy

LYNN – The 34 youth were under police supervision four days a week for six weeks. They went through booking, spoke with an FBI agent, stood before a judge in Lynn District Court, and were sent to jail. But the nearly three dozen city teens weren’t in trouble. On Thursday, these teens became the most recent graduates of the Lynn Police Student Academy.”You usually only see those things on occasions if you’re on the wrong side of the law,” graduate Matheus Petrone said in a speech. “We got to see these on good terms.”City and police officials, friends and family gathered at Lynn Classical High School auditorium Thursday to celebrate the local teens who graduated as members of the Lynn Police Student Academy Class of 2014.The teens all applied for the academy, which is modeled on the police academy program that all professional officers must complete to receive a badge. Classes were held four days a week for six weeks this summer. The program is run by the police department with support from the Lynn Public Schools and the city as well as many other individuals and organizations who educate and train the “cadets.””I wanted to be a police officer since I was 6 years old, and as I started growing up, I thought, ?what if it’s not for me?'” said Sebryna Ryan, who won an Outstanding Cadet Award. “I heard about Lynn Police Student Academy, and it’s kind of like a mock trial, so I tried it. I really, really enjoyed it.”A thank-you list on the graduation program and a photo slideshow that played throughout the ceremony showcased the activities and training cadets received. Cadets smiled at the State House with legislators. Organizers thanked the Essex County Sheriff’s Department and Middleton Correctional Facility for a visit to the jail. Cadets learned about law enforcement from an FBI agent, an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agent, a park ranger, attorneys and members of the various units at Lynn Police. All cadets also underwent physical fitness training and became certified in CPR. And, for many, the highlight of the experience was a trip on patrol in Boston Harbor with the Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit.”I’ve never gotten an invitation to go on the Massachusetts State Police boat,” Lynn Police Chief Kevin Coppinger joked in his remarks to graduates.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy told the graduates that she always visits the academy on the first day of class and at graduation because she likes to see how much the program affects the youth. She said the cadets even listened and sat more attentively at their graduation than they had at the first day of the academy, and she asked how many graduates were now considering a career in law enforcement.”That’s a lot more than when we started,” Kennedy said, as nearly all cadets raised their hands. “You’re growing and growing in a positive way.”Petrone agreed.”I’ve learned and gained so much this summer,” Petrone said. He then referenced the academy’s motto: “it doesn’t advertise community, leadership, and integrity falsely.”And after academy instructor Officer Ryan McDermott handed out the certificates, instructor Officer Mark Lee had all the graduates stand at attention one final time.”With a heavy heart but a proud heart, class dismissed,” Lee said.”L.P.S.A. Hoo-Rah,” the graduates shouted in unison.