New Bedford residents learn about rewards, challenges of police work at Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy

Fourteen city residents graduated Monday, Dec. 11, from the New Bedford Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy during a ceremony at the community room at Fort Taber.

The graduation capped off an eight-week program that taught participants about the challenges and rewards of police work. Participants were city residents who were interested in learning more about police work.

The students learned about a variety of topics during the program, including gangs, defensive tactics, drugs, port security, the dive team, firearms, domestic violence, active shooter training, constitutional law and the Safety Net program that helps locate people who have wandered away from home.

They also received CPR certification and had the chance to ride along in a police cruiser.

The program aims to educate the public about the varied and multi-faceted aspects of police work.

During the defensive tactics training, for example, Officer Michael Cassidy talked about the importance of sizing up a crisis situation and assessing a possible threat quickly.

Officer Cassidy talked about how officers keep safe and protect themselves from potential violence while on the job.
Officer Cassidy told the students that for police officers, “the most important thing to know is defensive tactics’’ to keep themselves and the community safe.

Learning to perceive potential threats and determine how to respond is a critical tool for police officers, Officer Cassidy told his class.

At the Safety Net training, the students were shown the tools that police use to locate people, including those with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, who may wander away.

Students used the tool at Buttonwood Park in an effort to find hidden objects, as a test of how the program works. In real life, the person would be outfitted with a bracelet that emits a signal that police can track if he or she goes missing.

The topics of the academy show the wide-ranging skills and knowledge that police officers must possess in their daily work. The goal is to increase the understanding between the public and the police department.

The academy was overseen by Lt. Ricard Rezendes, who also taught some of the classes.

Lt. Rezendes said he was pleased with the success of the academy. “Our department was pleased to put this program together for the members of our community,’’ Lt. Rezendes said. “The participants got to experience a small portion of a police officer’s everyday life. The experience was a positive one for both the officers and for the students. Several of the class members said they were sad to see the program come to an end.’’

Sidney Murray, who was one of the graduates, said that “the program not only gave great insight into the situations the police prevent, but also demonstrated the level of compassion the police have towards the community. I realized just how much the men and women on the force sacrifice, giving their all to stop threats that we may never hear about. In the face of danger, the level of camaraderie is inspirational, despite the fact that the job is thankless at times. I have looked into the faces of heroes who granted me an educational experience only they could have provided.’’

Police Chief Joseph Cordeiro said the academy was well-received. “I am very excited with the positive feedback we received from all our Citizens Police Academy graduates,’’ said Chief Cordeiro. “I am very happy to welcome fourteen new members to our New Bedford Police extended family. I look forward to our next academy and invite anyone who would like to get a glimpse into our world of policing and serving to participate.’’

The graduates were: Kristine Arsenault, Geri Banville, Amanda Cook, Ashley Greene, Crystal Henriquez, Thomas Lisek, Kevin Mello, Randall Motta, Sidney Murray, Michelle Pacheco, Connie Rocha-Mimosa, Eduardo Rose, Christian Solivan and Marco Sousa.

The next academy is tentatively planned for the spring.