Citizen’s Police Academy enrollees learn about law enforcement

In 2005, IU lecturer Darryl Neher got a chance to learn, hands on, the full operations of the Bloomington Police Department. Two years later, he still feels the Citizen’s Police Academy is an eye-opening experience.\n“What most people think of the police department is the officers riding in the car,” he said. “There’s so much more. The very special part is you really get to experience firsthand and go through the thought process law enforcement has to deal with.”\nBPD is currently taking applications for its fourth Citizen’s Police Academy. The academy, designed to provide citizens with a better understanding of the relationship between citizens and the law enforcement community, will start on Sept. 11 and run through Nov. 27. Classes will be held once a week from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m and are free of charge, according to a BPD press release. \nBPD Capt. Michael Diekhoff said the program will teach citizens how the police department goes about the day-to-day business of protecting the community. Classes throughout the 11-week program will involve patrol issues, crash investigations, case reporting, firearms, defensive tactics and an emergency vehicle operators course. The program will be taught by BPD staff members.\nNeher said the officers who taught the law enforcement classes were honest and helped the citizens understand the types of protocol they go through. Neher said they put the program members through various scenarios, such as a school bus hostage, and walked them through the rescue.\n“It made me respect the level of work law enforcement does on a day-to-day basis,” he said.\nAfter Neher completed the course, he got to go on a ride-along with Diekhoff. \nDiekhoff said the program requires participants to be at least 21 years old. However, Diekhoff said if someone is under 21 and wants to apply, they could get parental consent for the program. \n“We’re kind of flexible,” he said.\nBPD Sgt. Faron Lake said most of the applicants are a mix between city employees and citizens.\nDiekhoff said the police department limits the class to approximately 20 people so students will be more involved in the classes. \nBloomington resident Ebony Moore said the program sounds interesting and thinks it would be beneficial for anyone looking to go into the law enforcement field. Moore, who is majoring in criminal justice at IU but currently taking time off from school, said she could probably learn more about law enforcement through the program.\n“It could help them better understand cases if they’re giving them first-hand situations,” she said.\nUnlike Moore, IU senior Jill Smallman said she would not be interested in taking the course. She said she thinks it is interesting but not necessarily useful to the community.\nSmallman, who is also majoring in criminal justice, said the program would be teaching information with which she is already familiar. \n“I think it’s helpful (to learn about law enforcement),” she said, “(but) it’s not like you could make a change.”\nApplications are available online at www.bloomington.in.gov/police and at the Bloomington Police Department, located at 220 E. Third St. The deadline for applications is Sept. 5.