PEABODY — The Peabody Police and Fire departments, in partnership with the Recreation, Parks & Forestry Department, are bringing back a popular summer-youth series designed to give middle-school children an insider’s view of what it’s like to be a police officer and firefighter.
The Public Safety Academy will be held in back-to-back weeks in August for children in grades 6-8. The academy was canceled the last two years due to the pandemic.
The first session, Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), will introduce teens to forensic science.
“This is one of the programs we’ve done this in the past but haven’t been able to for the last two years because of COVID,” said Police Capt. Scott Richards. “CSI is our chance to show them the forensic and investigative side of police work. Then typically we would close out the program with a trip to a jail, but we don’t think that will be happening this year. It’s too bad because the kids really love that.”
Teens will have the opportunity for hands-on work in many of the areas in which science and technology are used in police investigations to gather evidence at crime scenes, working directly with members of the Peabody Police Department.
Participants will examine mock crime scenes set up at Brooksby Farm, locating, investigating and examining evidence. The academy includes a classroom session on the ins and outs of fingerprinting. Officer Corey Salvo will be with the department’s K9, Akiba. State Police Sgt. Paul Horgan will bring bomb-sniffing K9s and show how K9s help to solve crimes involving bombs and arson.
Sergeant-in-Training and Peabody’s Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLAC) representative Mark Sala will provide SWAT team tactical vests for the students to use in simulated situations requiring a SWAT response.
“The kids really love that,” said Richards. “The academy used to be more classroom-based but we’ve found over the years that the kids like to do as much hands-on stuff to keep their interest levels, so we’ve transitioned into more interactive activity working with the staff.”
The program will be held from Aug. 8-11 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Peabody Police Department, which is located at 6 Allens Lane.
Firefighters in Training will be held from Aug. 15-18 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Burke School gymnasium. The program will offer participants a chance to learn what it’s like to be a firefighter.
Members of the Peabody Police and Fire departments, Massachusetts State Police Fire Investigation Unit and Atlantic Ambulance will be on hand to cover several topics, including CPR and first aid, hoseline operations, fireground operations, ground and aerial ladders, leadership and team building, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), personal-protective equipment, vehicle extrication and vehicle fires, rope rescue and fire/arson investigations.
The cost for each program is $60 for residents and $90 for non-residents. Richards said many kids sign up for both sessions.
Registration for both sessions opens on May 3 at 9 a.m. To register for a program, go to the Recreation Department website at https://peabodyma.myrec.com/.
