Nov. 22—WILLIMANTIC — At a time when law enforcement agencies are heavily scrutinized, there are many misconceptions out there about what police officers do.
Law enforcement is a physically and mentally taxing profession that requires special training. The citizens police academy, which ended Wednesday night, is designed to educate community members about what being a police officer entails.
“I have a new appreciation for the police department and what they do,” Willimantic resident Ann Pedro, who grew up in Willimantic, said during the graduation ceremony.
The ceremony was held at the Windham senior/ community center.
It is the 10th year of the program, which 16 people were enrolled in.
Participants ranged in age, with the youngest being 17 and the oldest in their 70s.
“I think it’s important to bridge that gap between the citizens and us and I think we’ve been doing it the last 10 years,” said Willimantic Police Deputy Chief Douglas Glode, who runs the academy.
There were seven classes throughout the academy.
Classes were taught on the following topics, among others: K9 program, SWAT team, the department’s social work program, community policing, evidence analysis, field training and patrol functions.
“I think they got a great idea of what we do and where their money (taxes) is going,” Glode said.
Willimantic Police Chief Paul Hussey said he hoped the students now have a better understanding of what officers go through at work “Not everyday is stressful, obviously, but we do have to make split-second decisions and they’re under a lot of stress so I hope everybody got educated about that,” he said.
Speaking about the department’s community outreach, longtime Willimantic resident Ann Negron said Willimantic officers care about the residents in their community.
She said Willimantic officers recently attended a vigil in Willimantic in June in memory of five local men who died.
“They weren’t just there patrolling,” Negron said. “We can always count on our police department.”
Hussey said the department is “more of a professional organization” than it was when he started in 1996, noting that they are now accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), an accreditation that was awarded this year.
He said the department has K9 and Swat teams now, which it didn’t have in the 90s.
Hussey said the academy gives participants the chance to ” see the real story, not just what you see on TV.”
” We have nothing to hide,” he said.
The K9 program is near and dear to Hussey’s heart.
Over the years, he was a K9 handler and also trained many of the department’s police K9’s.
The K9 class was one of the most popular classes during the most recent session of the citizens academy. K9 officers participated with their dogs, along with many other officers from the department. Speaking about the dedication Willimantic officers have to their jobs, Glode said about two-thirds of the officers participated in the academy.
“Officers love to come teach classes,” he said.
One aspect of the department that is new is the social work program.
“We are the only police department in Windham County that has an integrated social worker at this
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