Brownsville police host Citizens Police Academy

BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. — A local police department showed community members what the experience is like for the person behind the badge.

Instead of students becoming teachers, they became officers. For six weeks, participants learned and trained with instructors from the Brownsville Police Department.

“You watched all of this on TV and then you wonder, in the TV story, does it really happen this way?,” participant Mary Hines said.

Throughout the course, participants learned what police officers experience on a daily basis, like making low-risk and high-risk traffic stops.

“And the same question we get all the time, you know, you got one car pulled over, you got three officers there on the scene, and we go through the scenarios and we explain why and how we do it and why we need the number of officers on certain traffic stops,” Assistant Chief Kelvin Evans said.

The Citizens Police Academy is an interactive class with simulated activities. Officers demonstrate real-life situations, like building searches and active-shooter training, then let the students give it a try.

“Never done that before,” participant Tommy Russell said. “I’ve never really held a gun like that. It’s heavy!”

Hines said the course is “really an eye-opening adventure.”

“I call it an adventure because that’s what it felt like to me,” Hines said.

Chief Evans said it’s necessary to have programs like this. “It would bridge the gap between the community and the police and just kind of open up the doors and show them what we do and how we do and why we do things,” he said.

Although police let citizens walk in their shoes, some had their own reasons for taking the course. “We have a lot of issues in our town regarding law enforcement, crime and gangs and such,” Russell said.

“Our police officers, they are really going through a lot trying to keep the Brownsville area clear of crime,” Hines said.

Some may think police work is an easy task.

“It’s not simple,” Russell said. “It’s much more complex and complicated than anyone would think if they have never experienced what we’re experiencing now.”

At the academy, you get a feel for the difficulty of the job as well as the danger.

“They’re teaching us as well just simple mistakes can cost you your life, and you may not make it home that night to be with your family,” Russell said.

Participants said the course creates strong relationships between citizens and police.

“Our law enforcement people have a hard job,” Russell said. “I would like to see us support them in any way that we can because one rotten apple doesn’t make the whole barrel bad.”

Community members said it’s important not to take classes like the academy for granted.

“The more you know about crime, no matter where it is, the more you can help someone,” Hines said.

On the last day of class, participants went to the gun range with officers from the Brownsville Police Department.

If you would like to participate, the next academy will begin in the fall. Contact Brownsville police at 731-772-1260 for more information.