Needham Police Host New ‘Recruits’
June 30, 2025
• A squad of (very) young police cadets joined the Needham Police Department for a week of interactive lessons and technical training.
Just a week after their last school day of the year, 30 students woke up early and headed to the police station, where they conducted ceremonial drills, tried on state police gear and later jogged down the middle of Chestnut Street, all in uniform. Their day, of course, ended with a homework assignment.
The Needham Junior Police Academy welcomed rising sixth and seventh graders for a week of activities, exercises and presentations from local and regional law enforcement officials, culminating in a graduation ceremony Friday.
Now in its 10th year, according to the NPD, the program allows youth to learn about policing and firefighting, which in turn breaks down barriers between cops and residents, academy co-lead Nicole McMahon said.
“We try to be in the community as much as we can,” said McMahon, who works as a school resource officer. “We find that, when the camp is over and we see them at school or in the community, they feel more comfortable coming up to us and talking to us or the other officers.”
In response to the program’s popularity, the department added a second week starting last year, mostly catering to rising eighth and ninth graders. Those cadets begin on July 7.
McMahon and her co-lead, SRO Joe Brienze, supervised as the kids traveled to and from different learning stations at the Public Safety Building Tuesday afternoon, jumping between police and fire.
The academy partnered with the Needham Fire Department for a series of exercises around teamwork in emergency situations. Inside, students learned how to take blood pressure at an EMS station and conducted a “search and rescue” operation using a thermal imaging camera and a baked potato.
At the fire station, cadets created a “bucket brigade,” resembling old fire-extinguishing techniques before pumps and hydrants wherein firefighters would pass buckets of water down a line. They also worked the fire hose, communicating with others as they extinguished fake flames. The thrust of the hose, at times, knocked some smaller cadets slightly off their feet.
The high temperatures didn’t seem to damper anyone’s spirit. Officer Ed Bayiates said the kids’ “willingness to learn” about the job’s minutiae brings a youthful energy to the department every summer.
“It’s nice to see the kids get excited about the little things,” Bayiates said. “It gives us a break from the regular day-to-day.”
Firefighter EMT Rob Giumetti oversaw the bucket brigade, guiding students to a kiddie pool they needed to fill up as quickly as possible. Though it’s his first time joining the junior academy, Giumetti has participated in the Student Awareness of Fire Education (SAFE) Program within Needham Public Schools.
“All of the people that get involved with this, I think, enjoy seeing the kids and their faces and having fun and learning stuff,” Giumetti said. “It’s rewarding for all of us.”
Rising seventh grader Adriana Demaio said she looked forward to visiting the Norfolk County Correctional Facility and getting a behind-the-scenes look at policing.
“It was really cool to see the dispatch room and all the cameras,” Demaio said. “[We learned] how the calls get answered.”
At the jail on Wednesday, students toured the building and spoke with several inmates in custody, asking them questions about their incarceration. The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office summarized the academy’s visit in a Facebook post.
“The men were blunt with the cadets about bad choices, the regrets they have, and how they wish they had reached out and connected with people who could have set them on a better path. They told the cadets to reach for the stars and strive to be leaders,” the post reads. “It was clear from the attention paid by the cadets that the message was being taken to heart.
Later in the week, detectives walked students through dusting for fingerprints and the students joined the Massachusetts State Police on their Marine Unit boats on a ride to Long Island Head Light. Babson College and Needham K-9s also made a visit to Needham headquarters, and students learned about handcuffing and quick decision-making.
The officers enforce the rules, and sometimes punish students, but rising seventh grader Ellery St. James said it instills teamwork and leadership skills.
“It’s really strict, but we get to do a lot of opportunities and stuff that other people normally don’t,” she said. “It’s really cool to go and see all the stuff that they see daily and hear about all the different struggles and highs of the job.”
Firefighter Alexa Tierney, who also manages the NFD’s community outreach, said she looks forward to next week’s older cohort. She and other personnel will “fine-tune more skills” and possibly add medical scenarios and more challenging exercises.
“These kids want to be cops, and that’s awesome because we get to show them more of it,” Tierney said. “It’s cool to take it a step deeper with the older levels… We get to pick the kids that are super into it, and the payoff is awesome.”
