Cabot police held special needs day camp

Little Rock, Arkansas – On Saturday morning, the Cabot Police Department along with the community teamed up to host their 5th annual Special Needs Junior Police Academy.

In order to make sure all children could be included in the Junior Police Academy experience, this Special Needs day camp was created.

For one young aspiring officer, Saturday’s event was extra special.

Alyssa Majeske, the mother of a special needs cadet, shared her son’s excitement for having the chance to be a part of this camp. “Declan has a dream of being a police officer. He has had this dream since.. I think… Preschool. Uh, and every year for Halloween he wants to be a police officer,” Majeske said, “At 6 am this morning Declan woke me up and said mom I am so excited, mom, I just want to be a police officer, this is my chance. This is my chance to learn how to be a police officer.”

According to Majeske, she was grateful Declan could have this opportunity in a judgment-free environment, expressing how comfortable the police department and volunteers made the families feel. “You know maybe outbursts happen sometimes, or meltdowns might happen, or even just loud noises sometimes happen. And one of the things that he said was, it’s okay. We are here for your kids. It’s okay,” Majeske said.

It is important to have inclusion in events like these, not only for the experience but to build trust as well saying all are welcome and they will never turn a cadet away, John Dodd with the Cabot Police Department explained. “We want them to know who are the community helpers. The fire department, the police department. The ambulance. We want them to know that when there is an emergency there’s people that can help them and not to be scared of us,” Dodd said.

Cadets participated in mock training with nerf guns, handcuffs, drunk googles, and swat gear. At the end of the day, they were awarded certificates of participation for their willingness, courage, and hard work. “He was glowing from the inside out the whole day. Every time I looked over at him he was saying, I’m just having so much fun, I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave. So that was my favorite part… was just seeing his joy,” Majeske said.

According to officer Dodd, he is proud of the Cabot Police Department and the community for stepping up to make this day camp a memorable experience for all of the cadets.

Next week, the Cabot Police Department will host an additional Junior Police Academy.