Rochester Police Offers Citizens Academy

ROCHESTER, MI — Ever wonder what it’s like to be a cop? Now is your chance to find out as the city of Rochester is launching its first Citizens Police Academy, running April 12 through May 31. The focus will be giving residents a taste of what officers’ jobs are like through education and training scenarios.

“Our goal is to develop better relationships through education and understanding — and it really goes both ways,” Sgt. Mark Lyon told the Rochester Post. “We hope it’s all interesting.”

The academy will allow residents to interact with police officers while gaining first-hand knowledge of the role the department has in the community and to learn more about the criminal justice system, the newspaper reported. The eight-week academy will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesdays at the police station.

“Everybody is always a little curious about what we do and how we do it, and to be able to part the curtain and see what happens, I think, is always interesting to people,” Rochester Police Chief Steve Schettenhelm told the Rochester Post. “Just like any good police academy, we will start with the basics and we’ll end with applying those things in some real-life scenario training. In the final weeks, we will be doing those hands-on segments where they will be investigating a mock crime scene and they will be doing some arrest scenarios.”

Topics for the citizens academy include: the school resource officer program and active shooter situations, investigations — including the detective bureau, narcotics and crime scenes, the use of force and the criminal justice system in general. Portions of the academy may include physical activities during hands-on scenarios, the Rochester Post reported.

“This will be the first year of the program, so we are really looking forward to starting out with a bang and having really good participation and put on an excellent program for our residents,” Schettenhelm told the newspaper.

Residents wishing to participate must be at least 18 years old, never have been convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, and have no misdemeanor convictions within the last two years. To apply online, visit roch estermi.org. Applications are also available at the front desk of the Rochester Police Department, 400 Sixth St.

Photo by CPOA via Flickr Commons