CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY
The NYPD’s Citizens Police Academy aims to give residents a better understanding of the NYPD, how it operates and how it interacts with those they have sworn to serve and protect. It’s a free 14-week course that is essentially a condensed version of the course that the cadets take upon entering police academy. This year, over 212 citizens took the course – the largest in the NYPD’s 20 years of running the program – and they were treated to a beautiful graduation ceremony presided over by Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly on Tuesday June 18th at One Police Plaza. The Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association is very proud that 5 of its members were amongst the graduates that night. Here is a report from our trip to One Police Plaza for their graduation.
This beautiful statue greets you as you enter 1PP -- it's a beautiful symbolization of To Serve and Protect.
There are a number of these huge plaques on the wall inside the lobby of 1PP -- honoring the men and women who have lost their lives while performing their duty. Each one of those names representing the tragic loss of someone who was loved by their friends and families. In the middle plaque below, 2nd row from the right, 3rd from the bottom -- Officer Edward Byrne, the 22-year old officer who was shot and killed in 1988 and whose death was huge national news. Each one of those deaths were just as tragic and these plaques are a sobering reminder of just how dangerous their jobs can be.
The graduates went through a quick rehearsal -- friends and family also attended -- it was a pretty big crowd! It is a very well run graduation -- they have got this down to a science. Once it gets underway you are surprised how fast it goes.
The opening prayers -
The Commissioner of the NYPD, Raymond W. Kelly.
Of the program, Commissioner Kelly said “One of the Academy’s strengths has been its ability to attract people from all walks of life, with strong ties to their community. Among the members of this class are members of the clergy, teachers, nurses, bankers, students, citizens who serve on their precinct’s community councils, and residents’ associations.”
One by one, the graduates are brought to the stage, their name announced and they are given their diploma. They are instructed to shake his hand, take the diploma, and look to the left (so they can get their picture taken by an NYPD Photographer). We tried to get pictures of our graduates getting their diplomas - was hard to get a real good shot as we weren't that close and had to zoom -- but here they are with Commissioner Kelly, our Woodhaven resident graduates -- Stephen Forte, Janet Forte, Sue Sweeney, Marie Paz and Elaine Carillo.
Here is our video report on the evening's ceremony --
And here are our happy graduates with their diplomas. It's a very fun evening for the graduates and their families.
After the ceremony, each of the graduates has the opportunity to get their picture taken with the Commissioner -- and their friends and families are asked to join them. The NYPD mails each graduate 8x10 pictures of them getting their award and the one they took with the Commissioner -- they really do an outstanding job with this ceremony and program. Below, one of Woodhaven's graduates, Elaine Carillo and family.
And below, Steve and Janet Forte meet the Commissioner. Mrs. Project Woodhaven, Joey Wendell, a 2012 graduate, sneaks in the picture!
Each graduate also gets their name on a plaque that will hang forever inside the halls of the police academy.
Our graduates Elaine, Steve and Janet along with Joey and Officer Jose Severino, Community Affairs Officer from the 102nd Precinct.
Our graduates Marie, Elaine, Janet and Steve with Officer Joseph Roberts of the 107th Precinct. The participants would meet at the 107th Precinct on Parsons Boulevard and get a ride into the city and Officer Roberts does a great job coordinating that.
“I hope that you came away with an understanding of the many ways an officer’s job is different from the way most people imagine it to be,” Commissioner Kelly told our graduates during the ceremony. “With this training, you are now among the best informed members of the public on the challenges facing the department. We’re counting on you to help us reach out and educate others about everything the department must do to keep this city safe.” Indeed, you do come away from this course with a better understanding of what it means to wear that badge. You’ll learn about how the NYPD handles domestic violence and child abuse, about tactics employed when confronting a potential suspect, about negotiating with a hostage taker, how to recognize the signs of bullying, and about rendering aid to an emotionally disturbed persons (or as the NYPD is trained to think of EDPs – every day people).
In the shooting range simulator, you will get a taste of what an officer must feel when faced with life and death decisions. And you will be engaged in discussion and role play about some of the current hot topics of controversy, most notably Stop and Frisk.
Here is a sample of the course curriculum, subject to change:
When I took part in the course last fall, I had some concerns going in that it was going to be one large exercise in Public Relations, a 4-month defense of all things NYPD. But right from the start the instructors deconstructed the NYPD, pointing out the good alongside the bad. Hire 35,000 people to do a job and you’ll end up with a few that are less than desirable. And they were not shy about repeating that fact, or acknowledging their faults. The NYPD makes it clear that it isn’t looking for a cheering section to attend these classes.
“Each of you were drawn to citizens police academy for different reasons,” Commissioner Kelly said. “And you brought your own expectations, your own questions. Maybe you wanted to gain a better understanding of the department’s role in your community. Maybe you heard discussions about the police in the news and you wanted to find out the truth behind the stories. Maybe you were upset with the police because of an encounter that didn’t go the way you thought it should.”
Indeed, amongst those attending the classes each semester are people who had bad experiences with officers. The vibe we got from the sessions we attended wasn't that the instructors were trying to win these people over (e.g., here's what you did wrong) but that in some cases they left feeling justified in being angry because they had confirmation that they were, indeed, treated poorly. This showed us that the NYPD had opened this class to all; that they welcomed skeptics and critics.
Our feeling is that the better informed we are, the better we will be able to communicate and have discussions of procedure with our precinct. The WRBA is very proud of our 5 graduates and we hope that more residents will step forth to take part in this program in the fall. If you are a resident of Woodhaven interested in the WRBA sponsoring your participation in this program, email us at info@woodhaven-nyc.org or leave a message at 718-296-3735.
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.
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Photos by Joey Wendell