Baltimore Co. Police brings back Youth Leadership Academy to show children how to be a leader
BALTIMORE - To keep children engaged over the summer, the Baltimore County Police Department is hosting its 15th Youth Leadership Academy.
The week-long program is an opportunity for young people to learn leadership skills and also interact with some of the police department's specialized units.
Officer Joe Brzozowski, who has nearly 20 years of experience with the Baltimore County Police Department, was born and raised in Dundalk.
He did a lot of his patrol time in the community he grew up in.
Now, he is one of the many officers giving back during the department's Leadership Academy.
"To have a chance to talk to these young kids and give them a good impression of an officer, and tell them what we do, means a lot to me," Officer Brzozowski said.
The week-long program allows children to learn how to be a leader.
"Wanting to become a leader, it's hard to really become that leader," said Cianna Franklin, Youth Leadership Academy participant.
Young people also get to interact with officers and hear about how they use decision-making, teamwork and communication skills.
"You can work hard and develop yourself and apply that development into becoming a leader in the department, in your unit or whatever you decide to do," Officer Brzozowski said.
"We see so much bad. There's bad, but there's good," Franklin said. "We focus so much on the negative without realizing there are bits of positive in there. This program really helps to focus on that positive narrative."
