When Nashville Mayor Megan Barry set out to get kids paying internships this summer, a bonus program developed called the Teen Citizens Police Academy.
The program was only a few weeks long and its first class graduated on Friday.
More Than 10,000 Teens Employed Through Metro
Graduates told NewsChannel 5 that the program changed many of their perceptions about officers.
"There are some that want to inflict harm on us, but that's not majority and there are good people over this program who want to protect and educate us," said 17-year-old Jace Locke.
"One of the wonderful things about this program is that they've been able to interact with police and have a better and deeper understanding of police. Our police talk one on one with them and have a frank conversations. I think that's so incredible," said Mayor Megan Barry.
More than a dozen graduates said they had not considered law enforcement careers before the program, but after graduating, they've changed their minds and said they'd like a career protecting their community.
