LPD’s Citizen Academy students have their last lesson on the Lincoln Airport tarmac

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) –  The decades-old Citizen’s Academy Program allows everyday Lincolnites to gain insight into how the police force operates.

“I think it helps community members have a better understanding of the why behind a lot of the things that they might see when they see an officer,” said Assistant Police Chief Ryan Dale.

Dale says he’s seen how the program has evolved over the years, but also how the experience of each student changes over the weeks of classes.

He says many start with a desire to learn police terminology, but walk away with a deeper understanding.

“By the second or third weekend, they start talking more about the way officers humanized the work that they were doing,” said Dale.

Many students agreed with this realization, like Edward Aken, a sixth-grade teacher at Park Middle School.

Aken says after being in the academy, he now sees all of law enforcement as a singular force, like a tapestry.

“Every single unit in the police department works together so beautifully,” he said. “It makes sense, but they’re so different because they have such specialized areas, and I love hearing about those areas.”

Tonight’s lesson started in the classroom and revolved around how officers make driving their number one focus on the road, navigating away from distractions and implementing defensive driving.

An ideal reminder for students before they hopped into the cruisers ready to swerve past cones, handle varying speeds all while the lights and sirens blazed.

Aken says he’s communicated those lessons to his students in hopes to dispel any myths they may have believed about the police.

“They’re actually good people,” said Aken about the police. “I mean they really connect with me as just a citizen that pays my tax dollars, what does the police department do and each class helps me learn and understand all of the hard work.”

The class also gave insight into things citizens would not participate in, such as active pursuits.

A description of how officers weigh risks explain the success LPD has seen over the years,  having decreased the number of these dangerous chases from around 70 per year to approximately 10 annually.

Aken says he hopes more people could take part in this course, which is open to all.