After a two year COVID break, the Statesboro Police Department (SPD) has brought back the Citizens Police Academy (CPA), and the response from the community has been great.
Mike Broadhead, SPD Chief, explains that it cannot be overstated how critically important it is for citizens and police officers to communicate. This communication, like all types of communication, works best when it is in-person and when real dialogue can take place.
Opportunities like the CPA, when officers and citizens can exchange information in a non-enforcement setting, where everyone feels free to ask questions, even hard questions, and receive honest answers, make our communities stronger.
Chief Broadhead stresses that the CPA really is about this kind of communication. There is a lot of misinformation floating around about what the police actually do, as well as what the expectations of the community are, and these kinds of opportunities allow for that free-flow of true and honest communication in both directions.
The two hour, weekly classes began on September 28, 2022, with 28 citizens from all walks of life registered. The Citizens Academy runs for six weeks and is designed to give citizens a hands on policing experience.
Over the six weeks they will explore:
- Use of Force
- Patrol and Patrol Scenarios
- Traffic
- Investigation and Investigation Scenarios
- Special Operations include SWAT, K9 and Building Clearing
- ride along with SPD officers
The Citizen Police Academy classes are designed to help dispel the mystery of what it is like to "protect and serve" the general public on a 24/7 basis.
The classes are being taught SPD leadership including:
- Chief Mike Broadhead
- Deputy Chief Rob Bryan
- Corporal Kris Mock
- Captain Andrew Samples
- Sergeant Terrell Lewis
- Captain Jared Akins
- Lieutenant Travis Kreun
- Corporal Kyle Briley
"I am really proud of the work our officers and staff do and the way they conduct themselves in our city, and I love that our citizens are interested in meeting with them," said Mike Broadhead, SPD Chief. "People are busy, and time is everyone's most precious asset. For so many of our citizens to spend a night every week with us during the CPA really is inspiring to me and our officers."
Some Considering Policing as a Career
SPD Captain Andrew Samples helped lead one of the classes, and he also leads the patrol division for SPD. Captain Samples noted that currently SPD are down nearly 20 officers in the patrol division alone. Captain Samples recommends the academy not only as a way for citizens to become more familiar with their operations but also for anyone considering law enforcement as a career. It is important to get exposed to law enforcement in some way before you consider making it a career.
Captain Samples began his now 15-year career taking his own advice. As a GS criminal justice major, he interned with SPD before joining as a patrol officer. Now he leads the patrol division.
"I highly recommend considering SPD as a career choice. It is not for everyone, but if it is your calling, there is no better place for a law enforcement career than SPD. It has been a truly rewarding experience for me," said SPD Captain Andrew Samples. "If you are serious about this profession, live the best life possible. Problems do follow you. Set up an orientation and tour of our department and see if SPD is right for you."
11 Officers in Training
Currently SPD has eleven officers in training to join the department full time. To become a full time police officer at SPD they require:
- Attending the police academy in Garden City (11 weeks)
- 3 weeks of rookie school at SPD
- 4 months of field training
"The Statesboro Police Department is a fantastic agency because it is made of fantastic people. At it's core, policing is a people business. Officers, dispatchers, administrative staff, all have a singular purpose here, and that is to provide the best and highest level of service to our community," said Mike Broadhead, SPD Chief. "Serving as a police officer is a noble profession, and it's one of the few professions where you are in a position to positively affect people's lives during their most difficult moments. I would encourage our citizens to consider a career as a police officer, or as a dispatcher or staff, because if you want to make your community stronger and better, this is a way to do it."
Click here to learn more about becoming a member of the SPD team.
