HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson police hope to build on the first youth academy held on Tuesday.

The turnout was a little small, but Thad Pickard with HPD says they hope to have more and larger classes in the future. “We kind of got the ball rolling late this year so we didn’t have a great turnout but it was as good for our first,” Pickard said. “Next year we’re hoping to have multiple academies, maybe June, July and August.” The hope is to attract about 30 students for each class.

The youth academy was for students entering their freshman year who are interested in law enforcement or just want a better understanding of what police officers do. “What we really wanted to accomplish was to reach out to the young people in our community,” Pickard said. “We really wanted to interact with them, hopefully, talk to them about decision making and how poor decisions can affect them for the rest of their life.”

Pickard says the age group they chose was important. “In junior high, if they make bad decisions it really doesn’t affect them in life, but now that they’re getting into high school those poor decisions can really affect them,” Pickard said. “We’re wanting to make a positive impact in our youth. We thought this was a great way to reach out to them.”