Teenagers often get their impression of police officers based on watching YouTube videos or a crime series on a streaming service. But the day-to-day jobs police officers perform is often much different than what they see on TV.
To help challenge the perception (and often misperception) high school students have about police, Oakland Community College’s Police Academy hosted students from Detroit and Southfield to hear speakers from the criminal justice field and participate in police scenarios to gain knowledge about the situation’s officers face every day.
The 20 students from University K-12 Academy in Southfield and the Detroit Public Safety Academy were part of the “Be the Change” program and had the opportunity to act as police officers and take part in handling simulated police work in scenarios like making a traffic stop and intervening in a domestic violence situation.
“Be the Change” was developed by former police officer and crime and safety expert Darnell Blackburn for high-school students who have non-traditional backgrounds with their experience with police to give them a better understanding what police officers face and challenge their perceptions. Blackburn, who is also a reporter at WDIV News 4, designed the program to give teens the chance to work directly with current officers to gain insight into what type of decisions police have to make every day.
The event was held at OCC’s Combined Regional Emergency Services Training Center (CREST) on the College’s Auburn Hills campus, the only emergency services simulation lab in the state. This innovative training “city” includes furnished houses, a bank, convenience store, gas station and motel that were used by the students during real-world police simulations.
Ten OCC police academy instructors (who are also active police officers) volunteered to work with the students during each of the scenarios. The students were given a police belt that included a replica training handgun and were paired in teams of two to simulate having a partner and worked together to handle each of the police scenarios, including:
-Traffic Stop – This simulation gave students the chance to learn what police officers need to consider when stopping a car with two occupants for a traffic violation and how they deal with confrontation from an agitated driver.
-Domestic Violence-Students went into the home of a husband and wife to understand the parameters for making a domestic violence arrest.
-Suspicious Circumstance-In this scenario, the students had to deal with a homeless man who wouldn’t leave the lobby of a motel and learn that while not every call the police receive is a criminal complaint, it can still be dangerous.
In addition to experiencing various police scenarios, the students also got a chance to use the Police Academy’s firearms simulation machine to learn how police often have to quickly make life-or-death decisions.
“Students experienced a multi-faceted view of the law enforcement profession. They were looking at it from how they had to respond to various situations and it gives them a new perspective on what police officers face every day,” said David Ceci, OCC’s Dean of Public Safety and Director of Law Enforcement Training. “It also gave them valuable information to decide if they want to pursue a career in law enforcement after they graduate from high school.”
Parents of the students were also invited to be part of the day’s events, and it was a learning experience for many of them as well.
“This was great insight for the students because they get to experience these scenarios themselves and see things from the officer’s perspectives,” said Trevis Harrington, who was attending with his son. “They also learned about the quick decisions police often have to make depending on the situation.”
Herrington’s son Tanner, a student at University K-12 Academy in Southfield, appreciated what he learned about what police officers face every day.
“I just think this was very informational and its helpful to understand different perspectives, and I never would have thought that these were the day-to-day things police officers have to go through,” he said.
Ceci said this was the first time this event was hosted by OCC’s Police Academy and the College plans to expand it to include more high schools in the future.
“OCC’s CREST facilities are perfect for allowing the students to experience police scenarios in a setting that is just like a city, and we look forward to continuing to host the Be the Change events in the future,” Ceci said.
Visit Police Academy for more information about becoming a police officer.
###
About OCC
Oakland Community College offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs with the resources students need to be successful and advance our community. As a top transfer institution, OCC offers one of the state’s most affordable tuition rates and flexibility in scheduling. The College is nationally recognized for its high-demand career training and expert faculty in their fields. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
Media Contact: Marketing & Communications | (248) 341-2020 | contactus@oaklandcc.edu