KINSTON, N.C. (WNCT) – KPD Inspire, the Kinston Police Department’s newest summer camp, finished on Friday. The two-day camp aims to build connections between local children and law enforcement.
The camp gives kids the chance to step into the shoes of the Kinston Police Department. KPD Inspire comes as a collaboration between the KPD and District C, a program where students solve the problems of local organizations.
“How are we going to get the younger generation involved in it and how will they be interested in the rest of their lives,” said Campbell Price, a District 6 student and camp volunteer. “We saw that neighboring police departments have done things similar to it so we decided for us to do.”
KPD officers shared their day-to-day life with the potential future police force. The kids went to the SWAT range, met Kinston Fire-Rescue personnel and toured the Lenoir County jail on Thursday.
“They have learned how to fingerprint from the crime lab and then this afternoon they will do a fake crime scene and try to figure out who the suspect is,” said KPD Major Kevin Jenkins, one of the program organizers.
Brayleigh is one of the campers who said she learned a lot.
“The K-9 unit, what they do, I saw what the SWAT team does,” Brayleigh said. “It’s really cool learning about what happens here and seeing everything.”
Jason is another camper who said he enjoyed the program.
“(Thursday), we were at the SWAT team training center, not center-like area, we were training with paintball guns, and it was really cool,” Jason said. “Learning how important police officers are and how they protect us, all the work that goes into it.”
At the crime scene, these campers used their new knowledge to investigate the area and pick a suspect out of a lineup.
“I think if we put our minds to it, we can, but it’s definitely not going to be an easy … the easiest thing in the world,” Jason said.
This is a new program for the Kinston Police Department. Officers with the department said they hope to make it a week-long camp next year.
