Fayetteville, WV (WOAY) – The Fayetteville Police Department is giving local kids an inside look at what it takes to become a law enforcement officer through its Youth Police Academy, underway this week at Fayetteville PK-8. The three-day program is modeled after the West Virginia State Police Academy.
“So we have some specialized trainings that we’re going to go through as far as drone trainings, K-9 demonstrations, forensics. They’ll go through a first aid course … just an overall view of what law enforcement is,” said Patrolman Michael Kees of the Fayetteville Police Department.
Kees says one of the most important lessons he wants cadets to take away is that police work looks nothing like what they see online.
“A lot of people are kind of misconstrued by the Internet and videos that they see. And this kind of gives an insight to what it really is and about being there for your community and how you can serve people other than just writing tickets,” Kees said.
Instructors built real scenarios into the week. Monday, a cadet secretly stayed behind with an officer after the class returned from fire department training to simulate a missing person. Squad leaders had to strategize, gather information, and track them down.
“It shows that we’re involved and it shows that we have more of a purpose than just crime protection. We want to do community outreach. This is a good way to get involved with everybody, especially the younger generation, and kind of let them know what we’re about,” Kees said.
This is the program’s first run in Fayetteville in several years. Kees says the department plans to make it annual.
“Everybody’s been really motivated. They’ve been getting into it. They’re asking serious questions. They’re really taking the training serious. So it’s been really cool to see,” Kees said.
This year’s academy runs through Wednesday and is fully booked. The Fayetteville Police Department says it wants to expand to a full week next year, take on more students, and plans to open enrollment toward the end of the 2026-27 school year.
