High school students experience a day as police officers at the Student Police Academy

We are giving high school students from across Calgary a firsthand look at policing during the 2024 Student Police Academy.

The Student Police Academy will be held Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at Heritage Park Historical Village. Co-ordinated by Calgary Police Service (CPS) School Resource Officers (SROs), the academy allows students aged 16 and over the opportunity to work with an officer coach, who will teach them how police use verbal communication, conflict resolution and arbitration skills to approach different types of calls for service they attend.

The students will be given mock police uniforms and respond to a variety of scenario-based activities around the park, including mock robberies, checks on welfare, traffic stops and collisions.

“We’re always looking for ways to engage and help educate youth in our community,” says Const. Martin Courte, SRO with the Calgary Police Service. “The students who applied for the Student Police Academy have expressed an interest in policing as a possible career. The day allows them to get some hands-on experience with the job in a safe, controlled environment, and gives them an understanding of the complex dynamics involved in policing.”

The CPS School Resource Officer program allows officers to be embedded in schools across Calgary to develop positive relationships with students and assist administration with general school safety and issues affecting students.