TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Cody Moss listened intently to the cadets talking to him at the Oro Valley Police Department. He’s just one of the about 15 kids who graduated on Wednesday from the department’s teen academy.
Growing up, he watched his parents as they worked in the law enforcement industry.
“It just sparked my interest because it seems like an interesting thing to do,” Moss said.
He’s only 14 years old, but his parents’ jobs were what motivated him to join the teen academy.
The academy brings in officers who talk about their experiences and the different aspects of policing.
“They taught us about how the SWAT teams go on different operations and calls, same with bomb squad, patrol officers, DUI units,” Moss said.
Apart from that, the department also brings in 911 telecommunicators, property and I.D. techs, and a detective who teaches them about internet safety.
“They can kind of get their foot in the door and start learning the way of policing,” Michael Kleinberg, an officer with the department said.
The academy also brings in cadets from the OVPD’s cadet program. They teach the teens about their experiences alongside police.
One of those cadets is Maxx Martin, who is 15 years old, and was in the teen academy last year.
“Some of the things I learned in the teen academy, little details here and there I’ve carried on in being a cadet,” Martin said.
It’s little details like learning about the Pima Regional Critical Incident team that he was passing on to the teens.
However, he also taught them about his experiences patrolling football games and working traffic control at community events.
“Being the eyes and ears of the police and being there to essentially watch out,” he described about his experiences.
Moss is hoping to watch out for the community, but by being a firefighter when he grows up. He said the academy taught him how police and firefighters work together.
“They do it because they’re literally brothers and sisters,” Moss said.
It’s those brothers and sisters that he found in the cadets and the police through the academy. He said other people should try the academy so they can get a realistic picture of the danger police face everyday.
“Some people would get a different viewpoint if they did things like this and camps like this. It could open their eyes, see how much they work and help improve communities and people,” he said.
