VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — From education on resolving conflicts to rehearsing traffic stops with officers, Virginia Beach teenagers and younger kids had a new way to meet their local police on Saturday.
The Virginia Beach Police Department's Youth Services Unit held its first-ever Parent and Youth Resource Expo at the Law Enforcement Training Academy off Birdneck Road.
More than 125 had signed up to come for educational classes, to meet various vendors and get up close with several police units.
Organizers told News 3 the event is another way for the community and law enforcement officers tasked with protecting them to meet in a stress-free environment.
“(They were able to) experience what it’s like to get pulled over in a safe environment, but go through the steps of providing their registration, their license and answering questions and whatnot and kind of seeing what it’s like," said Lt. Kevin Lokey with the Youth Services Unit. "That way, they’re not extra stressed out the first time they get pulled over.”
The Virginia Beach Police Mounted Patrol Unit and SWAT team also had stations set up outside the training facility for families to get up close to horses and equipment.
AAA Tidewater set up a station where visitors could use goggles to see how alcohol and even distracted driving can make it difficult to operate a vehicle.
Lt. Lokey says, following the event, his staff will look at how the day went in deciding whether to hold another expo in the future.
