The course gives participants an inside glance at police work and how they get it done, from evidence collection and investigations to uniform patrol.

The classes have been offered since 2003 and serve as a way to inform the public what police officers do and why they do it, said Chief Stephen Moody.

“They have that right to know how we respond … we have to provide that understanding,” said Moody. “We’re an open book here.”

The class is held every Thursday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The first class will meet Sept. 23 in the Raynor Room at police headquarters. Participation is free.

“It’s been a very successful initiative over the last seven years,” said Moody. “It’s amazing how (participants) go from talking about ‘the’ police department or ‘those’ officers to talking about ‘our’ police department and ‘our’ police officers.”

More importantly, the class opens a vital conversation between the police division and the public, said Moody.

“It’s their police division,” he said.

To apply for the class, or for more information, contact Officer Paula Rich at (937) 324-7730.

Sometimes it’s about an officer’s driving. Sometimes it’s an attitude during a stop. Sometimes, it’s unfair. Sometimes, it’s warranted.

Even those in uniform will tell you, it happens. For whatever reason, we all have a bad day at some point.

Here’s a note I got sometime back from Walt, of Yukon, who gives his insight:

“I am a member of the Yukon Citizens Police Academy and I have a son that is a police officer in another state. Both have given me an opportunity to ride along with the officers as they conduct their normal shifts,” Walt said.

“It is amazing how drivers react when they are stopped by an officer for a traffic violation. I have been with the officers that stopped a vehicle for doing 88 mph in a 45 mph zone, 52 mph in a 35 mph construction zone, driving without lights, no license plates and all other sorts of violations.

“Most, if not all the violations, are caught on tape, speeds are recorded on radar, or something similar. Yet, many of the drivers insist they have done nothing wrong and say the officer is mistaken. I have been with the police officers in chases where the driver fails to stop, drug busts, and many other criminal activities. Again, it is usually caught on tape but the violators continue to deny their activity.

“The officers are doing the job they were hired to do by and for the citizens. Each time they make a stop or answer a call, they are putting their life on the line. If only the violators would realize that the officers are there for their protection as well as others, and would admit they have made a mistake rather than try to lie, it would be so much better for all.”

“Case in point: one night about 11, we attempted to stop a vehicle for speeding in a 35 mph speed zone. The driver continued to ignore the flashing lights for several blocks. Finally, he pulled over. The driver was under 21, as were the other three occupants in the vehicle,” Walt said.”When the officer approached the vehicle and requested the driver’s license and insurance, the driver indicated he didn’t have them with him. The officer then requested the driver’s name and it came back that the driver had a learner’s permit only.

“When confronted with that information, the driver changed his story and produced a learner’s permit. Since there was no adult with a driver’s license in the vehicle, the driver’s parents were contacted and requested to come to the scene.”

“Once they arrived, they indicated the driver did not have authority to be driving. Had the driver admitted to making a mistake for speeding, he most likely would have gotten a warning and possibly a citation for not having a licensed adult driver in the front seat,” Walt said.”Instead, the driver was cited for speeding, not having a valid driver’s license, no proof of insurance … lying to a police officer and a couple other charges. The driver, because of the violations, will not be able to get a regular driver’s license until he turns 21. All because he lied to start with.

“The public needs to realize that they need to face the fact they have done something wrong and face the music. I would recommend that the news media try to get firsthand experience in the everyday operations of the police and fire departments so as to report what these public servants must go through to protect us citizens, not only the training but the actual duties they perform.

“I feel very fortunate that I live in a community that is reaching out to its citizens through providing a citizens academy for citizens to become more familiar with the activities of the police department.”

By the way …

Granted, he has a little different perspective, due to his associations with officers. But, still, he offers food for thought.

Enjoy your week and drive safely.

But don’t expect to be out busting bad guys like Batman by the end of the six-week course. It’s mostly an informational program, designed to allow city residents a candid look at the everyday lives of their local officers.

“We will give people our perspective of how we do our job, so they will be a little more understanding,” said city Police Chief Jon Welch. “There are so many myths and rumors about the police department and policing in general.”

The academy will meet every Thursday for six weeks at police headquarters on Ontario Street, starting April 1. There is no cost to attend — but, the department urges, “a substantial time commitment is required from the student.”

Most of the academy will be “instructional,” says Welch, and in addition to the lectures, many of the classes will take to the streets for “some hands-on stuff to help get a perspective of what the officer sees.”

For example, students will take part in a simulated traffic stop. An officer will pose as the driver, and the student will approach the vehicle. Welch assures “they will be a little nervous” walking up to a car in the dark with a flashlight, and that’s partly the point — to get them to “appreciate what we do and why we do it.”

“We will show them videos about what cadets see in the academy, about all that can go wrong at a traffic stop,” said Welch. “It gives them a real-life experience, so when they see an officer walking up with a gun, they know why that is.”

Lectures will cover such topics as laws of arrest, traffic enforcement, criminal investigation, courtroom testimony and how to form a neighborhood watch.

“There is a huge misconception of what the police do and how fair they are,” said Ward 2 Councilman Val Fenti, “and I know chief Welch wants to project the perception that they are very fair in how they carry out their duties.”

“This is a fitting way to begin closing out a banner year for the NYPD–reducing crime another 10.4 percent and keeping us the nation’s safest big city,” Bloomberg said. “This is a project that has started and stalled through three previous city administrations and now it is getting built. The new academy will vastly improve the officer training that goes into making the NYPD the world’s greatest and most advanced police department by providing a state-of-the-art facility that can serve the department’s 21st century needs.”

“As the Police Department has grown, so have the complexities of our mission,” Kelly said. “The new Police Academy will serve as an instruction site for generations of police officers, traffic agents and school safety agents, and includes advanced technology to enhance the world-class training already being provided by the department. New York City police officers have driven crime down year after year. They deserve a Police Academy equal to their accomplishments and dedication.”

“Identifying an accessible and affordable 30-acre site [was only one] of the challenges and showed why previous administrations had such difficulty in getting this vital public safety investment off the ground,” Skyler said. “It also required working closely with local elected officials and community members to mitigate any impacts associated with a facility that serves our 50,000-person police department. By working with the community, we were able to develop a comprehensive plan and the project now has widespread support.”

“The world’s finest police department needs the world’s finest training facilities and DDC is proud to be working with our colleagues in public service and the best design and construction professionals to make this a training campus second to none,’ DDC Commissioner David J. Burney, FAIA, said. “This project will demonstrate our commitment to architectural excellence and will be one of the largest environmentally sustainable projects in New York City.”

“I am delighted to join Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly as we break ground today for a new, state-of-the-art Police Academy that will provide facilities for training police officers who have to deal with some of the most challenging and diverse situations in the greatest city in the world,” Marshall said. “Our police officers continue to be our first line of defense as we combat crime and subversive activities. Here in Queens, we are proud to be the new home of this academy. In addition to providing an increased police presence in this community, it will create construction and permanent jobs, while increasing local business activity and growth. We bid a fond welcome to all police officers to their new home!”

“I’d like to thank the NYPD for working with the community and the City Council to make this groundbreaking a reality,” Vallone said. “The new academy will lead to a better trained police force, which makes our police, and our communities, safer.”

The NYPD currently conducts training in numerous facilities scattered throughout the city. The main facility, the Police Academy, located on East 20th Street in Manhattan, was built in 1964, intended for a department half of the size of the current force, is an overcrowded and outdated facility, unable to meet the needs of today’s department. For example, the Firearms and Tactics Section is located at Rodman’s Neck in The Bronx, while the driver training field where the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course is taught is located at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. The new facility will consolidate all NYPD training facilities at one location, creating a police training campus that can handle volume of recruits trained each year and meet the department’s highly advanced technological needs.

Once fully completed, the new Police Academy will occupy a 30-acre campus and be able to train approximately 2,000 recruits at any one time. It will feature instruction space for providing immersive, scenario based training for police personnel; support and administration buildings; a field house; indoor shooting ranges; a tactical village; a housing facility for visiting instructors; driver training fields; parking and a utility plant. The facilities will be designed for in-service training of officers, as well as for recruit training.

The project was designed with community concerns at the forefront of the planning process. The location is isolated from residential streets, reducing any impact the academy’s operations will have on the College Point community. The Department of Transportation and Department of Design and Construction worked closely with the community to identify traffic mitigation measures that will be put in place prior to the opening of the new academy. The location will have ample onsite parking for NYPD personnel, including a 3,000-car parking garage, to ensure those using the academy are not utilizing local parking spaces. The location is also well served by existing mass transportation options.

The total cost for the first phase of the new academy is estimated at $750 million. The project’s construction is a joint venture of Turner Construction Company and STV Incorporated. A cost estimate for the full academy project has not been finalized, as some components of the project’s design are ongoing.

The construction of the new academy is covered by one of the “Project Labor Agreements” announced by Mayor Bloomberg in November. The agreements, made with the Building and Construction Trades Council, will cover $5.3 billion in public projects comprising 32,000 construction jobs over the next four years. By easing the city’s bidding requirements and standardizing work rules, the city will save nearly $300 million on major public projects such as the new Police Academy. The savings will be used by the city to fund additional capital projects, allowing projects that may have been delayed due to funding shortfalls to be completed and help create more jobs. The Project Labor Agreements are expected to reduce construction costs at the Police Academy by approximately $30 million. The cost of the project was further reduced by locating the academy on land already owned by the city. The first phase of the academy project is expected to create 2,000 construction jobs.

The entire complex is being designed to achieve a LEED Silver rating. Some of the sustainable design measures under consideration include an energy-efficient central utility plant; green roofs and high albedo roofs; a high performance building envelope with solar shading and daylight enhancement; daylight harvesting in classrooms and offices; rainwater harvesting and reuse on site; bio-filtration of stormwater runoff; energy efficient lighting in all spaces, and automated building controls.

In 2007, a site selection committee led by Skyler reviewed eight possible locations for the new Police Academy and concluded that the College Point Auto Pound would be the location best suited to create a new facility that can meet the modern needs of the NYPD.

Newark Police Department’s 114th recruit class during their graduation ceremony today in Newark. Fifty-eight recruits were sworn in as police officers.

Newly-sworn Newark Police Officer Genaro Ortiz knew first hand from his father, a veteran detective on the force, what it takes to want the job.

“I grew up all those years watching him. I guess his inspiration rubbed off on me,” said the 23-year-old Ortiz, who graduated in the city’s 114th police recruit class today.

Friends and family cheered wildly inside the city council’s chambers as 58 cadets joined the force, at a time when the department is undergoing radical management and policy changes.

About 250 police recruits have gone through the city’s police academy under Mayor Cory Booker’s administration. The force now has 1,312 officers, according to the city.

Police Director Garry F. McCarthy said he expects to add another 50 to 60 officers this year to boost services, while the department seeks to slash about $3 million in spending from its $156 million budget.

The report also will reflect a drop in shootings to 297 in 2008, down from 393 the year before, and 502 in 2006, as well as the city’s declining murder rate. Newark ended 2008 with 67 murders, a drop from 99 the year before, and 107 in 2006.

McCarthy had stood with Booker during the graduation ceremony, while former police chief Anthony Campos was left sitting to the side. It was a clear indication of the department’s shift to civilian leadership under McCarthy, who signed on with the city during the first year of Booker’s administration two years ago.

Campos resigned from being the city’s top cop in October, but has remained under the civil service title of deputy police chief, after tensions with McCarthy. Campos began serving as an adviser to the mayor on public safety issues on Jan. 1.

The city council is expected to hold a second public hearing Wednesday, before voting on an ordinance to completely do away with the chief’s position, leaving McCarthy’s authority unchallenged.

The move comes after the city settled a lawsuit filed by the Superior Officers Association, which questioned McCarthy’s ability to oversee the force. Booker said he wants the position abolished, so the director can absorb the chief’s responsibilities of the day-to-day operations of the department.

The mayor said today that the position may end up abolished, but that the focus of his leadership team, which still includes Campos, was the same.

“Judge us not by our organizational chart,” he said.

Booker, who also spoke to reporters, said that, “everything was up for discussion,” when asked how an additional $812 million cut in state spending announced by Gov. Jon Corzine this week could impact city services.

However, Booker insisted that police services would remain untouched.

“We are not going to cut back on public safety,” he said.

Many Police Academies and Government Agencies have been forced to reduce their budgets. Although Police Training is instrumental and is evident within the daily functions of Police Officers nationwide, many Police Academies are forced to trim their budgets and find more efficient training programs to serve their officers.