NEW HAVEN--A new summer camp opportunity is aiming to encourage high school students to pursue careers in law enforcement.
The Future Law Enforcement Youth Academy is being run by the FBI's New Haven Field Office and Yale University Police Department in an effort to give selected students a chance to learn about what law enforcement does each day.
"I know of no other institutions of higher learning that have partnered with the FBI to bring such a program to a campus," said Yale University Police Chief Ronnell Higgins.
The 26 students--13 boys and 13 girls--who are picked to participate will get both classroom and practical experience in forensics, cyber technology to combat violence, counterintelligence, gang awareness and hate crimes and civil rights.
"They’re going to take a number of classes in investigative, forensic analysis, and really the sky is the limit with the resources we have," Higgins said.
World renowned forensics expert Dr. Henry Lee even reached out to Chief Higgins to offer to teach a class. Higgins said, "Just to interact with someone like Dr. Lee, I don’t know if they're going to see or feel the impact initially."
The week-long overnight camp "gives selected youth an inside look at today's FBI while also exposing them to various local, state and federal law enforcement agencies," according to a press release. They are looking to make up a class that is ethnically, racially and culturally diverse.
FBI Community Outreach Specialist Charlie Grady said, "We intend to make this class as diverse as possible representing all areas of Connecticut, urban and suburban."
It will take place on Yale's campus from July 24 to July 29, and is mostly funded by Yale.
The chaperones on the overnight trip will be law enforcement officers from the counties in which the children come from as a way of promoting ongoing communication and networking even after the program ends.
Higgins said, "Our goal is to grow our own. We're going to plant our own garden and grow our own."
The requirements for students to apply include:
- Ages 15 to 18
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Attending a Connecticut high school
- Commit to physical fitness through sports or other activities
- Minimum GPA of 2.7
- Two 200 to 500-word essays with completed online application
- Participate in telephone interview by academy staff members
- Participate in final panel interview at the FBI office in New Haven
The deadline to apply is May 27 at 5 p.m. To learn more and submit an application, click here.
