Release Date: Friday, May 14, 2010 2 p.m.
Harvey L. Bryant, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach, addressed the Virginia Beach Police Department Youth Academy last night at their monthly meeting. The Academy is comprised of twenty students from the Legal Studies Academy at First Colonial High School and one from Princess Anne High School. At the meeting, Bryant presented an overview of the criminal justice system and explained how a case is prosecuted from the time of arrest to trial and sentencing. Members of the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office staff then conducted a mock trial, allowing the students to act as jurors and decide a verdict.
The Virginia Beach Police Department Youth Academy was established in 1998 and is currently in its 19th session. The seventeen-week program is usually done once per year, and the students in the current session are earning internship hours required at the Legal Studies Academy.
“The program’s main purpose is to give students an understanding of how the VBPD operates and partners with state and federal law enforcement agencies,” said Master Police Officer Jim McElligott. “Recruitment is always a plus.”
“These students showed great promise as future police officers and attorneys,” Bryant said. “They demonstrated profound interest in and understanding of the criminal justice system. I enjoyed explaining the excellent working relationship between my office and the police department.”
Please contact Julie Pickell if additional information is desired.
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