Four local students graduated June 27 from the 25th annual Junior Law Cadet program at the Virginia State Police Academy in Chesterfield. Angel Watson of Hayes, and Kelcy Deagle, Victoria L. February and James Thomas, all of Gloucester, were among the 39 teenagers who attended the academy. 

Cadets experience a life similar to a trooper-in-training, complete with daily room inspections and instruction by troopers on department operations, crime scene investigations, officer survival, undercover operations, driver improvement, defensive tactics, and firearms safety. 

As part of their training, the cadets also undergo a variety of physical agility exercises used in the Virginia State Police applicant testing process. 

The weeklong program for rising high school seniors is co-sponsored by the Virginia State Police and The American Legion. The American Legion selects and sponsors the students to represent the organization’s Virginia districts.

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