Dragon GAP sponsored a Police Academy Camp for middle school students, which ran from August 6-10.
During the week campers were able to learn more about what it is like to be a police officer and see hands-on the tasks officers do.
The LOPD and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department helped the campers understand there is a lot of hard work that goes into being a police officer.
‘Real life is different than CSI television,? said former Bloomfield Hills Police officer Jon Gray, who helped out with a mock crime scene investigation.
The students practiced their crime-solving skills with lessons in self defense, crime scene investigation forensics and boater safety. They also learned about the duties of the Lake Orion Village Police Department Bicycle Patrol.
As part of the camp, the students investigated a mock murder scene at Lake Orion High School, where they had to interview witnesses and gather evidence. They also had to use a computer program to create an image of the suspect, as described by the witness.
On another day, the campers helped solve a series of fictional crimes in downtown Lake Orion. In groups of two, they were able to gather descriptions of suspects, information on the stolen goods and details about the cars and bikes involved.
Later the groups came together and shared all of the fragments of information they had gathered and learned from Chief Narsh about what the next steps would be in the investigation.
For the students to see that there are many different branches to law enforcement and safety, the students visited the Rochester Hills Sheriff Substation, the 52-3 District Court, the Lake Orion Police Department and the 911 Overview Center.