Nick Marinovich and his 6-year-old son, Kingston, made a trip to River Park Square on Saturday to learn about Spokane’s police force.

Just inside the mall entrance, they found a crowd of officers, volunteers, families, dogs and a quarter horse named Mya, who recently joined the volunteer mounted patrol team that keeps a watchful eye on city parks.

This was the Junior Police Academy, a family event hosted by the Spokane Police Department and the Downtown Spokane Partnership.

“It’s a fun opportunity for kiddos to meet their local law enforcement while learning about safety in our community,” Elisabeth Hooker, the partnership’s marketing and programming director, said in a news release.

The event also featured a booth where kids could play dress-up with police attire and a spot for making crafts run by the Mobius Children’s Museum.

Outside on Wall Street, children climbed around police vehicles, including a motorcycle, a patrol car and the armored vehicle used by the police department’s SWAT team.

Officers demonstrated the capabilities of a remote-controlled bomb-disposal robot, and a food truck doled out grilled cheese sandwiches.

Children collected stamps on sheets resembling bingo cards to earn their Junior Police Academy certificates.

For Marinovich and his son, who’s about to finish kindergarten, the event was a weekend bonding opportunity.

Kingston was grinning after he had an opportunity to pet the horse and explore the police vehicles. He’s talked about becoming a cop when he grows up – and an astronaut, and all kinds of other jobs.

“He’s 6, so it changes day to day,” his father said, “but he’s always been interested in cops and firefighters and things like that.”