OAK PARK, Mich. – On Wednesday, Oak Park residents got an up close and personal education on public safety. The Citizens Police Academy bridges the gap between police and the public with this experience.
"I had respect for them before," said Zakiya Hollifield, an Oak Park resident. "I have so much respect for them now."
That's the reaction of many Oak Park residents after attending the Academy, which allows 25 residents, twice per year to get a peek behind the curtain to see how police do what they do. They learn everything from the physical work load to making decisions about taking a life, saving a life, or losing their life.
"It gives the citizens just a slight glimpse into the split-second decisions that we have to make when confronted with armed and unarmed perpetrators, or just suspicious people," said Det. Robert Koch of Oak Park Public Safety. "And you have to think fast."
One exercise is a firearms training simulation. Our Kim Gill got a chance to do the simulation, and she says it didn't end well.
"From Ferguson, through Cleveland, through Cincinnati, South Carolina, you name it, this is a golden opportunity for us to let the citizens know this is how we do what we do," Koch said. "And hopefully they'll get a little bit better understanding."
"The most part, I think public safety officers, police officers, are just doing their job and they're doing the best that they can in situations that they're put in," said Regina Weiss, an Oak Park resident.
"We're always judging and saying 'oh they shouldn't have done this, they shouldn't have shot the person, they shouldn't have done this,'" Hollifield said. "And then when you come and see what they have to do and all the training, there are some crazy people out here.
These public safety officers don't only police the area, they also respond to fire calls and emergency medical calls, sometimes all within one shift.