By Amanda Pevey
Elmore Autauga News
Photos from Capt. Stephen Youngblood, and EAN
Eighteen graduates of the Millbrook Junior Police Academy were honored on Friday at Millbrook Middle School, concluding the second camp session (Class of 2025-2) hosted by the Millbrook Police Department. Over the course of the week, participating students gained insights into teamwork, physical training, and the role of a police officer. The academy experience consistently offers a rewarding time for the young cadets.
Leading the Millbrook Junior Police Academy were Captain Stephen Youngblood, SRO Corporal Kristen White, and SRO Matt Henson.
Throughout the week, students witnessed various demonstrations showcasing different aspects of law enforcement work. These included live demonstrations of Taser and OC (Pepper Spray). The Taser volunteer was Millbrook Middle School teacher, Jeremy Schultz, and the OC Spray volunteer was Millbrook Police Dispatcher Kierra Savage.
Cadets explored crime scene investigation techniques, learned about SWAT operations, hostage negotiations, K-9 unit capabilities, building clearing procedures, self-defense principles, vehicle stop protocols, locating evidence during vehicle searches, and numerous other relevant topics.
During the graduation ceremony, Chief P.K. Johnson administered an oath of promise to the cadets. The oath centered on obeying laws, assisting fellow citizens, and the principle of ‘if you see something, say something.’ Mayor Al Kelley and City Council President Michael Gay were present for the event.
Quotes from City and Police Leadership
“I want to thank Captain Youngblood, Lieutenant Henson, Corporal White, and the rest of the staff from Millbrook PD who put the efforts into this to get with your kids and get them to know the police department,” stated Mayor Kelley.
He continued, “Just know that these are not the bad guys, these are the good guys. I want to thank you, young adults over there. You are not kids anymore; you are young adults. Thank you for spending the week with our guys, gals, and thank you for putting the effort in it as well.”
Captain Stephen Youngblood remarked, “This was the second week of the Junior Police academy. Class 2025-2 graduated 18 on Friday.”
He added, “Lt. Henson did a wonderful job recruiting children for the Junior Academy. We had over 80 applicants. As with each year, we look forward to this program. Cpl. White, Lt. Henson, and I enjoy teaching the participants. It is fun and rewarding. We love hearing the stories from parents when they tell us that their children could not stop talking about the program. We see it as a great tool to foster positive relationships with our youth, so they understand that police are here to help. The Junior Police Academy is a week filled with exercise, valuable life lessons taught, and demonstrations. They get to see demonstrations like K9, SRT, Taser, and OC spray. They get to solve crime scenes, simulate driving drunk, search cars for ‘drugs,’ and practice traffic stops.”
Millbrook Police Chief Johnson commented, “This fine group of young people gave up a week of their summer break to learn about the training that law enforcement officers are exposed to when we attend the Police Academy. Make no mistake, we are not targeting our community’s young people to become police officers in the future. This week was about building positive relationships with our community. What better place to start than with our community’s youth!”
Chief Johnson explained, “The goal was for each young person attending to see the men and women that serve their community as people, just like their mothers and fathers, but with different jobs, while learning and having a little fun. I want to thank Mayor Al Kelley and our Millbrook City Council for their continued leadership and support, which allows us to engage in community policing projects like this, as well as our Cops & Kids and Operation Blue Santa programs. I also want to thank the Elmore County Children’s Partnership ‘SOAR Program,’ Elmore County Board of Education, Millbrook Middle School, Millbrook Street Department and others who partnered with us to make this week possible.”
He concluded, “In closing, last but certainly not least, I want to thank Captain Stephen Youngblood Jr., Lieutenant Matt Henson and Corporal Kristen White, who were our primary academy instructors this week and were assisted by a host of our officers and staff throughout the week. To all who worked to make this program a success, Thank You and Job Well Done!”
A special thank you is extended to the following organizations and volunteers:
- Elmore County Partnership for Children- SOAR Program
- Millbrook Middle School
- Central AL Police K9
- Taser volunteers: Mr. Jeremy Schultz (teacher)
- OC volunteer: Ms. Kierra Savage (Dispatcher)
- Street Department
- Pines Golf Course
Several officers from the Millbrook Police Department contributed to the success of this program.
For those interested in participating in the Spring 2026 program, please check the Millbrook Middle School’s Facebook page in Spring 2026 for application dates. The Millbrook Middle School Facebook page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FWTtbATAF/?mibextid=wwXIfr.
You can also contact the Millbrook Police Department directly for more information.
