By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
FINANCIAL DISTRICT — The city’s youngest citizens are learning what it takes to be a police officer, thanks to a new interactive exhibit at the New York City Police Museum.
The $350,000 Junior Officers Discovery Zone, which opened in January, gives kids ages 3 to 10 a chance to blare sirens and steer stationary police cars, race up and down steps in a fitness test and meet real members of the NYPD, along with the furry crime-fighting mascot McGruff the Crime Dog.
"It's very important for children to know the role of police in the community and that the job of police is to keep everybody in New York safe," said Elana Yellen, manager of education and public programs for the New York City Police Museum.
"This is a great way for kids to be exposed to police officers and to try out and learn about the skills police officers need to do their jobs."
On a recent morning, kindergartners from P.S. 249 in Brooklyn raced through the mock 1st Precinct station house, wearing pretend NYPD uniforms and shouting about make-believe emergencies.
"We need the police to save us," Keyshia Neree, 5, said as she took a break from revving the NYPD truck. "If somebody's trying to kill you, we need them to take them and go to jail with them."
Ibrahima Diallo, 5, said he learned that NYPD officers are "big and they help people."
During P.S. 249’s visit, Yellen and several police officers emphasized that police officers are "community helpers" and children should always feel comfortable calling 911 or turning to them in an emergency.
Annette Pellot, a kindergarten teacher at P.S. 249, said it was especially important for kids to learn that they can trust the police.
"You never know who they may need," Pellot said. "They [should] have someone to go to beside their own family and friends, in case they're in need or in crisis."
