Journey Through the Shorewood Citizens' Police Academy Comes to an End

Last Thursday marked the end of a 10-week journey through the ’s Citizens’ Police Academy.

From shooting pistols, , diving into , getting a first-hand look from passenger’s side of a police squad — and ducking class when it came time to sacrifice my body for a training session on Tasers — it was an eye-opening experience.

I walked into looking to get a better understanding of how police do their jobs, and garner knowledge about the incidents and cases I write about as editor of Shorewood Patch.

Even with my twice-weekly trips to the department, there’s a lot I didn’t know. And how could I? The job of a police officer, detective or even police chief is complex.

The course helped bury whatever preconceived notions I had lying in my subconscious and put to rest the negative connotations about the work our local police department does.

And through the academy my 11 classmates and I built a relationship with those who protect and serve in our community and, in a way, became ambassadors for the force. We’re not cheerleaders — as a journalist I understand my duty to always be a watchdog for government — but my classmates and I are better informed and can filter through misinformation about our local force.

In closing, I'd recommend others in Shorewood get involved in next year's class, and get to know the men and women of the Shorewood Police Department.

Congrats to my fellow graduates:

• Donald Berg
• Carolyn Bucior
• Jacklin Genett
• Robert Gosse
• Karen Habanek
• Salem Kashou
• Dean Mueller
• Donald Natzke
• Kathy Neumeier
• Ashley Rieder
• Leslie Schmerin