SOUTHWICK – The Southwick Police Department is always searching for ways to unite the police with the community, and one successful tool has been the Citizens Police Academy.
The town’s 22nd Citizen’s Police Academy is set to start on Oct. 10 and the eight-week program will be held every Tuesday night during which the participants will get a first-hand experience of what it’s like to be a police officer.
During the first class, participants will receive an introduction to the program as well as a history of the Southwick Police Department. Officers will then give a tour of the department and provide people with information on the dispatch center.
From there, citizens will get more hands-on training which includes use of force and also going to the local gun range on a Saturday morning.
Chief David Ricardi, who helped bring the program back to life when he became Chief in 2013, realizes just how beneficial this program is for the community.
“It brings our citizens a ground level view of what we do,” said Ricardi. “Everything is right there.”
It also gives people the opportunity to see the various roles that certain officers have in the department. Throughout the different weeks of the program, individuals will gain an understanding of an officer who solely focuses on the court system, or another who deals with firearms, or another officer who is the school resource officer for the school district.
Southwick Police officers are showing citizens how to properly fire a gun during the eight-week program at one of the past academy’s. (Photo courtesy of Kirk Sanders)
Being able to paint the citizens a real picture of the actual duties that a Southwick Police officer has is critical for the instructors of this class.
“They get to see that side of the different aspects of the job,” said Sgt. Kirk Sanders, who is the Community Police officer of the department and also organizes every Citizens Police Academy program.
While every week is crucial for the citizens to learn, Sanders points out that there is a specific exercise that individuals do in week eight that really gives citizens a full understanding of what a police officer goes through.
Called “You’re the Cop,” a police officer brings a participant with them for a ride along in the cruiser and allows them to conduct a mock traffic stop. The officers make sure that the citizen gets to experience a number of scenarios that any cop can go through during a stop.
“At the end of this session, they all realize it’s not easy approaching a vehicle,” said Sanders. “The scenarios could change very quickly.”
After the eight week course is completed, week nine is reserved for the Citizens Police Academy Graduation which takes place on December 5.
Since its inception in 2001, Sgt. Kirk Sanders has organized the Citizen’s Police Academy and has taught around 500 citizens. Along with the several officers that assist in the program, Sander’s dedication to the Citizen’s Police Academy doesn’t go unnoticed.
“He’s very dedicated to it, it’s one of his passions,” said Ricardi. “He enjoys interacting with the community.”
If anyone is interested in participating in the upcoming Citizen’s Police Academy on Oct. 10, you can apply by picking up an application in the front lobby of the Southwick Police Department or you go on the department’s website and download the application.
