As with any field trip, a jaunt to the police station requires advance planning and discussion with the children. Explain to them that a police station is a workplace, and they need to be respectful and listen to the officers giving the tour. If there are any particular subjects the children find especially interesting, let the police officers who will be doing the tour know ahead of time. To help your guides, create name tags for each of the children.
Talking about safety can help the children see police officers as helpers, rather than simply people who arrest bad guys. If your community has a neighborhood watch program, ask an officer to explain how it works, and where children can go if they feel they are in an unsafe situation. Officers are also typically willing to answer questions, so this is a good time for children to ask questions about safety in their community.
Children love to see buttons and hear sirens. Police station tours often include a look inside a real police car, and a discussion of all of the equipment inside. Some police departments are willing to let children see inside dispatch offices and learn about what happens when they dial 911 in an emergency. Meeting a dispatcher in person and talking with her can dispel fears children might have if they ever need to dial 911 for an actual emergency.
A trip through some portions of the detention center in a police station can be interesting for older children. They can learn about the fingerprinting process and why it is done along with the booking process. If there is an empty cell available to tour, children can have a taste of what life is like in jail and why they would not want to stay there. Officers can share what life is like for prisoners.