Five boys and five girls recently enlisted in the City's first Teen Police Academy, the first program of its kind in the state, that brings 12 members of the Fall River Police Department force together to teach students about what it takes to be a police officer. The nine-class program included lessons on motor vehicle laws, drugs, the SWAT unit and gun safety. Organized by B.M.C. Durfee High School's Resource Officers Michael Perreira and Kelly Furtado, the program targets youth from high-risk neighborhoods who have expressed an interest in police work. Plans are to expand the program to six weeks and increase participation to include 25 students. For more information about this unique safety program, contact
 

(Top row, left) School Resource Officer Michael Perreira with student Miguel Velez. (Top row, right) School Resource Officer Kelly Furdado and student Juliette Gule. (Middle row, left) Officer James Riley give directions to students Voun Phin and Carl Burnett before they go out on a ride-along. (Middle, right) Dana Ducharme & Jillian Medeiros prepare for their ride-along in a police cruiser. (Bottom, left) Brothers Miguel and Carlos Velez head out for the ride-along. (Bottom, center) Students meet with officers once a week for class at the police station. (Bottom, right) Miguel Velez and Officer Perriera prepare to head out on a ride-along.