Police academy is more than just an ’80s movie franchise
Chattanooga Police Department Sergeant Wayne Jefferson doesn’t mince words. “I’m a realist and am going to tell you how I feel,” says Jefferson. “I’m not a politician and may not be able to make my point of view sound sweet, but after hearing it a lot of students accept it.”
Jefferson is talking about teaching at the Chattanooga Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy (CPA), now in its 21st year. The program started in 1999, just three years after Jefferson joined the force. Chief Jimmy Dotson wanted to bridge the gap with citizens so the community understands exactly what law enforcement does.
“I spent ten years on patrol with Fox Team, Baker South,” remembers Jefferson. “The last ten years I’ve been involved with community outreach things like youth patrol and civil enforcement.”
There have been more than 900 graduates from the CPA, including around 200 Hispanic graduates. Topics include SWAT Team, Explosive Ordnance Disposal or Bomb Detecting, Patrol, Narcotics, Special Investigations, and Internal Affairs to name just a few.
“Everyone’s favorite class has to be the K-9 unit,” laughs Jefferson. “Of course, there are things like sex trafficking and identity theft that didn’t exist when I started but are huge issues now.”
Another eye-opening class for the public is the “Shoot Don’t Shoot Night”, where students can engage in every day, dangerous situations officers encounter like traffic stops and domestic violence calls.
“We recently added a scenario where students have to engage a mental patient,” says Jefferson. “It gives them an idea of how quickly a situation can change.”
The last couple of sessions have had the largest attendance ever for the academy. They run both spring and fall sessions lasting nine weeks. It’s an open forum where questions are answered and everything is on the table.
“The main question I get from participants lately is why police shoot so many black people,” says Jefferson.
A database collected by The Guardian concluded 1,093 people in 2016 were killed by the police. The database showed by total white people, who make up 62 percent of the U.S. population, were more frequently killed by police than any other race or ethnicity.
“It’s the media’s portrayal and movies responsible in large part for that view,” he contends.
Students also ask why it takes so long for officers to respond to a call. “We’ve got about 175,000 people in Chattanooga and only about 475 officers,” explains Jefferson. For those keeping score, that’s one officer for every 368 people. “Once you explain it to students, they have a better perspective of what police go through,” he says.
Jefferson has had a couple of people attend his class who don’t like police. “I love those students,” he laughs. “Once they can ask questions and realize we try to be as transparent as possible, their views usually change.”
Jefferson has gotten a lot of positive feedback over the years and is seeing younger people taking an interest in their neighborhood. The CPA is also starting a youth academy in conjunction with local schools. “I think this is important because a lot of people in the inner city don’t like police,” he explains. “We treat everyone the same.”
Jefferson has been off the streets for a while now and the academy gives him a chance to host local citizens and show the personal side of policing. “When you sit behind a desk you can lose that human element,” he says. “I like to joke around and cut up and show students the pride I have in my department.”
Even years after students graduate from the academy, they keep in touch with Jefferson and call him for all kinds of things unrelated to law enforcement. “I get calls from people asking me where to go on vacation,” jokes Jefferson. “Communication is so important and it shows they are comfortable enough to call me up and have a conversation.”
Applications for the upcoming CPA are available on the City of Chattanooga’s website (Chattanooga.gov) and located under the “Community Outreach” tab on the left. The upcoming nine-week session begins Thursday, March 12th at 6 p.m. It is free and food will be provided.