SHREWSBURY, Mass. – Nearly 90 Shrewsbury kids are getting a first-hand experience of what it's like to be a police officer at the Shrewsbury Police Youth Academy.

Student officers faced their first fitness assessment Tuesday. School resource officer Alicia Brownell said the week-long course involves classroom and practical portions, like CPR training, field sobriety testing, crime scene processing and a ride on the department's patrol boat.

Brownell said the goal is to reach students who may want to become a police officer or who may have misconceptions about what police do.

“Our first day, we actually asked our student officers why they were here and about 60% said they are interested in this field or want to become an officer one day,” she said. “It's definitely an objective to doing this. They get to see what it's like, see what we go through prior to becoming an officer. But also, a lot to do with misconception, clearing up any that are out there. They can have a better understanding of what we do and why we do it.”

This is the first year the department has held the academy.