DALTON, Ga. — Officer Bart Chandler, the school resource officer (SRO) at Dalton High School, watched as a trio of students with brightly colored guns shuffled down a hallway at the school on Thursday before he felt the need to step in.

“You guys are going to be here, shoulder to shoulder, but not so close that you are stepping on each other,” Chandler said, moving the students into position. “Talk to each other. Communicate. That is key.”

Chandler and Officer Steven Collins, who is the SRO at Morris Innovative High School, were showing a group of teenagers the proper way to clear a room and a hallway area as part of the newly dubbed Law Enforcement Camp, a five-day experience that offers students an inside look at how police do what they do.

The camp, which wraps up Friday with a graduation ceremony and a cookout, is the result of a partnership between the Dalton Police Department and the American Legion, and Chandler said he’s pretty sure it’s the only one of its kind in Georgia right now. In addition to giving young people a positive place to be while school is out for summer break, the camp lets students experience some of the training a police officer goes through.

“It gives us the opportunity to interact with students and a younger generation, help them see some of our tactics and see some of the things we are doing. It gives them a little better understanding of law enforcement, letting them know we aren’t just out here to write tickets and take people to jail,” Chandler said. “We’re doing what we’re doing for the community itself.”

About 20 Dalton High students from the Junior ROTC program have participated in the camp this week. On Thursday students were learning how to breach and clear rooms at the school, while another group was learning about and practicing traffic stops at the fairgrounds. Students have also learned about emergency care and about the life of a typical police officer.

One of the students, 15-year-old Muneeb Sheikh, said he was surprised to learn how many vehicle crashes happen in Dalton during a given year. He said the camp has been an interesting experience and it only helped to confirm his plans to enter the military and then later pursue a career in law enforcement.

Sheikh said police officers seek to help the community, and he enjoyed getting to try the room-clearing techniques he learned on Thursday.

“I wasn’t as nervous as some people would be, but I feel comfortable doing it,” he said.

Chandler said the camp will be offered again next year and that the organizers hope to offer more and varied opportunities, as well as bring along more campers to participate.