Southfield Citizen’s Police Academy returns

SOUTHFIELD — “My mom served as an officer with the Southfield Police Department for 29 years. Because of that, I always had a deep respect for police work, but I realized there was so much I didn’t fully understand about what officers experience daily.”

As the daughter of Kelly Buckberry, an officer with the Southfield Police Department, Paige Buckberry said she’s always had a strong connection to law enforcement.

“When I heard about the Citizen’s Police Academy, I saw it as a great opportunity to get an inside look at the challenges and responsibilities of law enforcement,” Paige Buckberry said.

Buckberry completed the free nine-week Citizen’s Police Academy last June. The academy allows participants to engage with officers, learn about police procedures, and gain insight into the challenges and responsibilities of modern policing through hands-on demonstrations, discussions on community policing, crime prevention strategies and more.

As a graduate of the program, she found the experience to be “eye-opening, engaging and incredibly valuable.”

She explained that it felt like the Citizen’s Police Academy gave her a deeper understanding of what police work entails and a greater appreciation for the field. Buckberry added that one of the most impactful sessions for her was the scenario-based training.

“It really put me in an officer’s shoes and showed how quickly they have to make critical decisions under pressure,” she said.

Timothy Simon, an officer with the Southfield Police Department, was one of 20 officers who aided in the course instruction. He echoed Buckberry’s sentiments.

“I think the most valuable aspect of the Citizen’s Police Academy is that it provides an opportunity for people to put themselves in the boots of a police officer and it reinforces the humanization of the badge,” Simon said.

Simon works with the Community Policing Team to oversee the class, set up the academy, and schedule guest speakers for the program.

He explained that the Citizen’s Police Academy was offered several times pre-COVID during the spring. Since the pandemic, this year’s class will be the second offering of the program, which has seen between 65-75 applicants complete the program since its inception.

Simon said the feedback from the program has been positive, with academy graduates expressing their gratitude for the program and a newfound understanding of police work. He added that many are shocked to see the day-to-day tasks of a police officer and the type of calls they respond to.

“Many now act as advocates for the Police Department and point others to the right contacts when anyone has questions regarding police or police operations,” Simon said. “My favorite part of the program is seeing perceptions changed and getting to show individuals why we do what we do.”

He explained that the type of content covered in the program includes use of force, dispatch operations, investigations operations, mock traffic stops, K-9 demonstrations, SWAT demonstrations, processing a mock crime scene, first aid, drone demonstrations, live fire scenario training and more.

Simon’s favorite course is live-fire scenarios. He finds it fascinating to observe how citizens react in life-or-death situations when they must decide whether or not to use deadly force. For Simon, it is interesting to hear the reasons behind their choices.

Southfield City Councilwoman Yolanda Haynes is a proud graduate of the Southfield Citizen’s Police Academy and often encourages her neighbors and friends to enroll in the program. Haynes completed the program in 2019 under former Southfield Police Department Chief Eric Hawkins, shortly before Elvin Barren became the chief.

Haynes said that she liked the program so much that she asked Barren if she could enroll again. She said that the graduates meet monthly, either by Zoom or in person, and host various speakers.

Recently, she said, a former member of the Tuskegee Airmen shared his experiences with the group.

For her, one of the biggest takeaways from the program was increased awareness and learning to always be alert to what is happening around her.

Haynes reminisced about one of her first jobs, which was working in a police station as a teenager.

She explained that exposure to police work at a young age taught her about integrity and gave her respect for law enforcement.

She emphasized that it wasn’t until she was an adult that she realized that some people don’t have the same warm feelings toward police, and understandably so, she added.

“Some people are in opposition to them because of what has happened to them,” Haynes said. “So we don’t want to ignore that and you don’t want people to think that it’s all just rose glasses and beautiful pictures about things.”

Haynes praised how approachable Barren is and how receptive to community feedback the Southfield Police Department is.

“We are at the height of our game right now with the leadership that we do have, and the Citizen’s Academy helped to build a relationship between the citizens and the Police Department,” she said. “Community engagement is big … and any community that does it will be better for it.”

Haynes shared how much it meant to her that Buckberry and Simon attended a picnic at her church and engaged in a water balloon fight with the children.

“Community policing is the key to building the best relationship between police and the community, and having the right officers to do that is very important,” Haynes said.

Due to the content of the program, applicants must be at least 18 years old to enroll.

This year’s program will be offered every Tuesday from 6-8:30 p.m., starting on March 18, with a graduation ceremony to be held May 20 at 6 p.m.

Applications are available at the front desk of the Southfield Police Department, located at 26000 Evergreen Road. The applications are due by March 1.

For more information, contact the Southfield Community Policing Unit at (248) 796-5400.