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Citizen’s police academy back in action |
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Thursday, 20 November 2008 |
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(Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series about the eight-week Bryant Citizen’s Academy, in which Courier reporter Matt Burks took part recently.)
Since becoming Bryant police chief in early January, Tony Coffman has been focusing on ways to work closely with local residents. His plans included bringing back the Bryant Citizen’s Academy program vacated since 2005.  Glenda Crowson, left, of Benton listens to instructions from Bryant Police Sgt. Shawn Fullington on how to shoot a .308-caliber sniper rifle during Bryant Citizens Academy firing range day at the Direct Action Resource Center in Pulaski County. (Courier photo by Matt Burks)
“My goal is to best serve the citizens of Bryant,” Coffman said. “This police department is not ours, and I want [the department] to serve [residents] the best that we can to our abilities. I want to keep the public informed on what is going on with the police department, and I also want them to address their problems to us, no matter how small they think their problem is. ... I want to reach out and get to know everyone that I can, and I want my officers to do the same.”
Coffman said the Citizen’s Academy program is informative and teaches important safety guides for people, but it also is fun for all who participate. For eight weeks, participants are taught everything from how a police department operates, how to protect one’s identity, how to conduct a traffic stop, how to fire weapons and much more.
The goal was to have the eight-week program twice a year, and on Sept. 16 the first in the biannual series began with 21 local residents taking part. Sgt. Jenceson Payte was assigned the task of teaching the inner workings of a police department and much more. The program was new not only to the 21 participants, but also new to Payte, who willingly jumped in head first.
“Chief [Coffman] said this will break down barriers with the public,” he said. “He said it is going to be a tool to bridge the gap with citizens and that it will be a lot of fun for everybody.”
Many of the participants said the eight weeks was not only fun, but they learned much valuable information.
“I loved SWAT night because it was such an adrenaline rush,” said Julia Graham, 22, of Bryant. “Overall, this program gave me a better appreciation for what these officers do day in and day out everyday.”
“I loved the whole program,” said Bill Lenz, 44, of Benton. “It was such a great experience. We had great instructors, and I recommend it to everyone.”
The class is designed not only to teach people how law enforcement works, but also to help residents overcome any lingering fear of police officers, Payte said.
“The ultimate goal is to provide citizens with an inside look at law enforcement and in doing so, they get a better understanding of what we do,” he said. “The police officers also get to interact with the citizens on a different level, other than just for a police matter. The more good people we get involved in the program, the more positive interaction they can have with the officers and the more apt they are to approach an officer.”
Payte said the department hopes to build trust with residents of Saline County and that the ultimate goal is to work better with the public. He said anyone can sign up for the class and the only stipulation is that a person not have a felony record.
“We do a criminal history check just to confirm that the person has no felony conviction,” he said. “But we don’t want to discourage anyone from signing up. We know that people make mistakes in their past.”
The class met every Tuesday night for at least two hours. Participants were provided soft drinks, food, education and entertainment, Payte said.
When the class members first met, they were told what to expect over the eight-week period. They learned the structure of the Bryant Police Department and they were given a tour of the department. Participants also met numerous Central Arkansas officials such as Bryant Judge Curtis Rickard, Stephen Svetz III with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Ken Casady and the top officers of the Bryant Police Department.
“I thought it was important for people to put a face with a name and for the class to ask them questions,” Payte said. “We also talked about what it takes to become a police officer, who is responsible for what department and who certain people are responsible for.”
The next week, Payte said he decided to bring a more interactive approach to the classroom. Each participant donned a SWAT bullet-proof vest, headgear, gun holster and “fake” handguns to reenact a traffic stop.
“What I heard over and over again was that they didn’t realize how complicated and dangerous a traffic stop can be,” Payte said. “I heard one person say that there is nothing routine about a routine traffic stop. I heard another person say that they have a whole new respect for an officer that pulls him over. I think they learned how to encounter people at a traffic stop and how things can quickly change and escalate. You never really know what to expect at a traffic stop.”
Payte said that having the participants act out scenarios was key to teaching his class.
“I tried to make it little more interactive than I think most citizen police academies are,” he said. “It is one thing to hear things in the classroom and another to experience it. It gives a better viewpoint of the other side, and it is about understanding how officers act.”
During the third week, Dale Ridge with the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Unit spoke to the class about domestic violence. Ridge explained that domestic violence is not a personal issue, but a community issue.
“He not only defined child abuse, he talked about investigations and issues that children face as a result of abusive parents,” Payte said. “He also gave the class points of contact for suspected abuse.”
Bryant Sgt. Jimmy Long also spoke to the class about spousal abuse and said that despite that fact that the majority of abuse crimes are against women, men can also be abused.
“The class told me it was a real eye-opener and it made them more aware,” Payte said. “They said they realized it wasn’t just a family matter anymore and that abuse needs to be reported to the police.”
The fourth week was based on the theme of the popular television show “CSI” to show how police detectives work a crime scene. Detectives created a scene of a gunshot victim and participants learned how to investigate. From picking shell casings with tongs, placing evidence in brown sacks to keep it safe, following fake blood trails, taking DNA swabs and even lifting fingerprints, participants learned the basic aspects of a criminal investigation.
“People were really fascinated with the tools detectives use at our department, and also we dispelled what we call the ‘CSI’ factor,” Payte said. “They found that a lot of things they see on the ‘CSI’ TV show is not practical. A good detective has to rely on common sense, follow leads and use equipment properly to conduct a through investigations. They also found that detectives work numerous cases and that they can be very time-consuming. Sometimes it takes a while to wrap up a case.”
(For more information about the Bryant Citizens Academy and to read about the second half of the eight-week program, read next week’s Saline Express or the Thursday, Nov. 27, edition of the Courier.)
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