Brian Kaprat dusted a fine black powder onto a flat surface then reached for a strip of transparent tape.

The 13-year-old hoped to recover a fingerprint.

“See how that bubble is coming up?” Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Jonathan Stemrich asked as Kaprat worked. “You don’t want that.”

A few moments later - and under Stemrich’s guidance - Kaprat successfully pulled his first fingerprint.

“It was easy,” Kaprat said.

The Hazleton teen was among the 88 boys and girls on hand for Pennsylvania State Police Troop N Camp Cadet at Penn State Hazleton. Staffed by Pennsylvania State Police troopers and others in law enforcement, the camp educates “cadets” to the diverse criminal justice system and helps them establish positive relationships with law enforcement.

Cadets arrived to camp on Sunday, and began classes the following day, according to Trooper Anthony Petroski III, public information officer for Troop N.

The camp is structured like a police academy. And so, cadets march to the calls of “Left” and “Right,” and answer questions with a “Yes, sir” or “No, sir.”

They wear matching uniforms, exercise and follow a stringent schedule. They learn in the classroom, and take their knowledge into the field.

“Remember what we learned in class yesterday? This is an easy way to do it,” Stemrich said of collecting prints. “Here is a trick.”

As he showed the technique, Trooper Tim Gronski helped another group of cadets process a mock crime scene.

Cadets also learned about operations at the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency.

“We have all the tools necessary to do what is needed” in emergency situations, explained Gronski.

Cadets toured the agency’s $300,000 mobile command post and inspected a SWAT vehicle.

They’ll graduate on Friday.

More information is available at www.troopncampcadet.com.