Five Things I Learned At My First Academy Class

My first night of Citizens Academy was a lot like the first day of any class. Nobody was going to talk first.

"No questions? I tell you, it's amazing what the difference is between what you all will be like on your graduation day than how it is right now," Capt. J. Martin Lurz, commander of Cockesyville Precinct No. 7, told us as we listened intently. 

I slid into a seat in the last row a little before 6:30 p.m., just after being handed a binder of considerable weight. I listened to Det. Teresa Moudry, the academy's coordinator, tell us that more than 60 students had signed up for this year's class, well above the typical class size of 30. 

Since the academy is only offered once a year--reduced from a bi-annual schedule due to financial reasons-- class sizes have gotten bigger, she said. More than a dozen tables with five chairs apiece were ready to accommodate us. 

I was accepted to Baltimore County’s 30th Citizens Police Academy, an annual 16-week program designed to give residents a first-hand look at what police work is all about, and in hopes of illuminating what it’s like to undergo police training.

As the evening went on and Capt. Lurz gave an edifying overview on precinct structure, I found myself looking back through the wealth of material we had been given. I decided on the name of this series, "Citizens Police Academy Binder," after realizing how essential it all will be.

In no particular order, here are five interesting things I found in my binder:

• A ride-along application.  To be turned in at our respective precincts, each student may apply to go out with an escorting officer and observe a typical shift. As a journalist, I have always wanted the opportunity to do this.
• "Defining a Citizen Leader" by Richard A. Couto. A fascinating read about stewardship and community from a political science professor in Kentucky. "Suddenly, I realized that I felt more about leadership than I thought about it," he writes within the five-page article. It occurred to me that police officers have to be leaders virtually every time they step out into the public.
• A memorial. While tragic, the fact that only eight Baltimore County police officers have died in the line of duty in the department's 137 years of existence is extraordinary. Those officers’ names are Ofc. Edward Kuznar, Ofc. Charles Huckeba, Cpl. Samuel Snyder, Ofc. Robert Zimmerman, Sgt. Bruce Prothero, Ofc. John Stem, Sgt. Mark Parry and Lt. Michael Howe.
• A cheat sheet. The binder came with a page of the phonetic alphabet and "ten codes,"what officers use to communicate common messages. I've always wanted to know more than just what 10-4 means, and that my name is spelled David Ida Adam Nora Adam. 
• Directions.  Indicating that some up-close experiences are guaranteed, several pages explained how to get to a shooting range, an airport and the Circuit Court Building.

Next week should be particularly enlightening for me. We learn about media relations, as well as Homeland Security.