The Junior Police Academy taps into something as old as the law enforcement profession itself; one that goes all the way back to the first time a father put on a police uniform and stood before his children.

Frame that image in your mind and glimpse the engine that powers JPA:

for youth, someone to champion justice;
for the police officer, someone worth fighting for.

Together young people and police officers generate a uniquely American brand of idealism that is essential to both liberty and democracy – an enthusiasm for justice!

Simple & Powerful

This is, after all, the simple yet powerful central theme of the Junior Police Academy:
Police officers are the pillars of a democracy; a noble extension of our national identity.

Idealistic? Perhaps.

But the ideals of one generation quickly become the artifacts of the next unless they are kept vitally alive.

JPA instills these very principles of American justice into the classroom – to be put to useful purpose by the next generation.

Spanning a Generation
Now in its 20th year, the Junior Police Academy’s impact can be measured across an entire generation of graduating cadets.

Today, there are citizens across the country who better understand their civic responsibilities because of JPA – empowered to contribute to the life of their community and their country in ways that enhance public safety and solve problems.


“Advanced Citizenship“

In this country, we are called to an ‘advanced citizenship’ which can only be realized when young citizens understand that they are stake-holders in our democracy,” said JPA Advisory Council member Chief Tom Clemons.

“The Junior Police Academy often marks the start of a young person actively assuming their lifelong role as informed citizens – extending the program’s true impact far into the future.”

Historic Tradition

The Junior Police Academy is built on the premise that public safety officers provide an ideal role model for mutual respect, tolerance and the peaceful resolution of conflict.

The value of police departments working with young people was recognized early on. “Junior” or “boy police” programs started appearing during the first two decades of the 20th century, sponsored by local police departments or schools in places like Berkeley, California; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Cincinnati, Ohio; and New York City.

With the adoption of community policing in recent decades, programs embracing the original spirit of these efforts started to reemerge.

Founded in 1992, the Junior Police Academy was among the first and has steadily established its leadership over the past 20 years.

Now we invite you to catch the spirit of JPA. Give reality to a noble historic tradition: police are the public and the public are the police.

 

Phillip LeConte, Executive Director