by: Karlee Phillips
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Before he moved to Sioux Falls, Bobby Smith was a first responder on the West Coast. Now he’s one of 34 participants in this year’s Citizens’ Police Academy, a program that teaches people about the inner workings of several safety departments in the community.
“I think coming from a part of the country that’s very anti-police and defund the police. I think it’s very important that the citizens and the police department has a good rapport to keep the peace. It’s got to be a trust going both ways for sure,” Smith said.
The 10-week course is free. Officer Brady Lieuwen has been organizing the class for five years. He said it’s a great way to spread the word about what the police department is doing.
“The more people living in and around Sioux Falls know about the departments, the better it is because they can understand a little bit about what’s going on in the department,” Lieuwen said.
Some people in the class hope to go into law enforcement. Others are simply interested in learning more about the work of officers and other departments around the area. Participants come from different backgrounds and range from 18-years-old to mid 70s.
“It really does immerse society into understanding how that a police department operates. And it’s not just, you know, a money and an audit standpoint. It really is a lot deeper than that. It grows that connection between police and how citizens can help them and kind of watch and deter from other things,” Kassidy Overweg said.
From Q&A to live demonstrations, participants get a front row seat at learning how their officers protect their community.
“A lot of people don’t realize how intricate the inner workings of the police department are in the different areas that we have. So, the ability to highlight all those areas in Citizens’ Academy is priceless to our department and to get information out to people about what we do in here,” Lieuwen said.
For some, the course has been eye opening.
“It’s nice for everybody to have the knowledge of what they actually do behind the scenes of being a patrol officer, which is sometimes hard on the field, too. And it’s also hard behind the scenes as a dispatcher,” Makaylah Pacas said.
While the academy continues to be a success, Lieuwen said he wants to build it up even more.
“I’m already looking at next year adding a week to make 11 weeks. So, adding new sections to the curriculum that are beneficial to the participants,” Lieuwen said.
It all comes down to building trust both ways.
“It’s important for us to get that word out there and to just have people comfortable with what we’re doing here at the Sioux Falls Police Department,” Lieuwen said.
This year’s academy wraps up in May. To learn more information about joining next year’s Citizens’ Police Academy, click here. Lieuwen said applications usually open in January. Applicants must be at least 18 years old to sign up.