CHILDERSBURG, Ala. – The Childersburg Police Department recently held a graduation even for their inaugural Citizens Police Academy with the goal of starting a new session. Keep reading for the special “twist” they’re hoping to add for a future session – a youth session.
“It was more than a fun experience,” explained Childersburg Police Chief Kevin Koss, “it was enlightening for us all. And this was the main point – for the public to gain incites into the department operation while building trust and improving communication with those we serve, side by side with officers during the seven-week sessions.”
Meeting once a week for seven-weeks, the program provided more “hands-on” experiences than most expected. It quickly became more about showing than telling what we do,” said Chief Koss. Each week, we touched on things that citizens may not fully understand about police work and our operations.”
The sessions covered matters of statutory law, that became an education in patrolling and calls for service – including common things officers face daily, from traffic stops to domestic violence.
“The goal was for officers to share their experiences in ways that help citizens frame their perceptions of what it means to be a cop,” said Koss, “Felony intake, criminal investigations, evidence gathering, interviews and interrogations, fingerprinting, and even firearms training. We included our Firefighters and EMTs for things like administering CPR, understanding fire training, demonstrations of the jaws of life, along with hands-on experiences for understanding the equipment and procedures for fire department duty.”
Koss said that after the first Citizens Academy session, the ideas for the program expanded, along with the desire keep it going and keep it growing, “We see that we can handle more, and one of the things we’ve discussed is maybe a youth Citizens Academy for ages 13 to 17. So, if that’s you or someone you know that might have an interest, please drop by, learn more about it and apply. Family groups? Sure, why not? If the interest is there, we’ll consider it. Citizens Academy is a tool that can make lives better through mutual understanding and respect. We need, we want interested people from the community.”
