BENTONVILLE -- Mildred Santiago didn't talk to or about law enforcement before participating in the Citizens Police Academy. Now, she said she's a promoter of the program because it "fosters communication between groups."
That's the goal, said Gene Page, the Bentonville Police Department's community relations officer.
Bentonville Academy
• Applicants must be 21 years old and live or work in the Bentonville area.
• Applications and more information regarding the Bentonville Citizens Police Academy can be found online at www.bentonvillear.c….
• Completed applications should be e-mailed to Officer Gene Page at gene.page@bentonvil… or mailed to the Bentonville Police Department at 908 S.E. 14th Street Bentonville, AR 72712 or fax it to (479) 271-3187.
• Contact Page at (479) 271-6200 with any questions.
Source: Staff report
Other programs
For more information regarding other Citizen Police Academy programs, visit:
• For Fayetteville, www.fayetteville-ar…
• For Rogers, rogersar.gov/348/Ci…
• For Bella Vista, www.bellavistaar.go…
Source: Staff report
"Transparency is the beginning of building relationships," he said. "This academy brings us closer to the ones we protect and serve."
The department established its Citizens Police Academy in 1999 and more than 400 participants have graduated, according to the department. Its next session begins Thursday, and there still are a few openings.
Santiago's journey through the program started after she contacted Police Chief Jon Simpson last year. Tensions between law enforcement and the black community were increasing nationally after a series of unarmed African Americans were killed by police and the Black Lives Matter movement dominated headlines.
"Being a black woman, I wanted the local police to know that they are cared for, they are respected and supported," she said, explaining she supports Black Lives Matter. She wanted Simpson to know "it's not that only black lives matter, but that what we were trying to say is black lives matter, too."
Simpson and Page invited her to participate in the academy.
The academy allows police and residents to have a dialogue rather than a debate, Page said.
The eight-week program gives a working knowledge of the Police Department and the unique challenges in law enforcement. It covers topics such as police dog teams, the bomb squad, criminal investigations, forensics and patrol through lectures, demonstrations and facility tours.
Santiago accepted the officers' invitation and was intrigued by the psychological aspects of policing.
The "shoot/don't shoot" exercise impressed her the most. Participants were given fake guns and placed in scenarios law enforcement have encountered. They then had to make a decision on whether or not they would shoot a potentially threatening person, a role played by police officers.
"This gives them a front line look of a day on patrol," Page said.
Santiago said she would have died for lack of shooting in a couple of the scenarios and would have shot an unarmed man who reached in his pocket. It turned out he was reaching for a cellphone.
"That's why you see so many situations where [police] shoot innocent people," she said. "They don't know they're innocent until after they're killed."
She said police only have a split second to make a decision.
The bomb squad session and demonstrations with police dogs also were highlights, Santiago said.
"I learned to appreciate those folks even more so," she said of police.
Fayetteville, Rogers and Bella Vista also have citizens academies.
Fayetteville restarted its program in 2014 after suspending it for budget reasons in 2008, Sgt. Craig Stout said.
The program includes a ride along with a patrol officer, which helps bridge the gap between officer and resident, Stout said.
"It humanizes the officers a bit. They [residents] see some of the stresses that we deal with," he said.
The academy also allows the department to receive feedback and input from the community it serves, Stout said.
Citizens Police Academy programs are offered throughout the country. The concept started in 1977 in England as a night school was created to allow residents an inside look into their policing system, according to the National Citizens Police Academy Association website.
The Orlando (Fla.) Police Department created the first program in the United States in 1985 with the hope of reducing crime through stronger relationships with law enforcement and the community.
Efforts to connect with the national association were unsuccessful.
Participants in Citizens Police Academies had "significant increased knowledge" of police officers' daily work as well as various programs offered by departments after completing the program, according to a 2007 study by Western Kentucky University. Ninety-five percent of participants in the study believed the program did a good job informing residents about law enforcement.
Most programs in Northwest Arkansas vary between eight and 12 weeks, take place in the fall and have about a 20-person maximum because of classroom space.
NW News on 05/30/2017