GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Kent County Sheriff's Office has been doing its citizens police academy for more than 20 years now. Each year, they're encouraged by the effort to bridge the gap between law enforcement and community.
After all 13 weeks of the citizens academy are up, the KCSO has one goal for its students.
"To give them a better understanding of who law enforcement is and what they do, why they do what they do, and why they make the decisions that they do," says Sandi Jones, the KCSO's volunteer community outreach coordinator.
The course walks regular civilians through several different subjects, like week 11's classes on the dive team and recreating crime scenes digitally.
"This gives us an opportunity to tell our story," says Lieutenant Russ Larson. "Show them what we do."
For Dave Hemmerly, a participant in the academy, even a simple task of having to practice a traffic stop was an unexpected challenge.
"My adrenaline was pumping, my throat was dry," he recalls.
But the experience was well worth it.
"Having an opportunity to kind of put yourself in their shoes, it just opens your eyes immensely," says Hemmerly.
Lt. Larson says he understands why law enforcement often times gets a bad reputation with the public.
"I think it's human nature that if you don't understand something, maybe you're going to challenge it or question," he says. "Which I think is accurate, you should."
But he hopes classes like these show people that what they do is more than what they see on TV or in movies.
"Now I don't have to answer the question because they do it," says Larson. "They go home and tell their families I learned about this, this is what police are doing."
If you want to apply for the next citizens academy, which is a free program, you can call (616) 632-6221 or contact Sandi Jones at sandi.jones@kentcountymi.gov.
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