WPD prepares to welcome civilians into training facility for Citizens Police Academy

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — After the pandemic put a stop to launching an immersive Citizens Police Academy to the public, Wilmington Police Department is preparing to offer the program starting next month.

When the Haynes Lacewell Police and Fire Training Facility opened in late 2019, there were big plans to welcome the public in to see what it’s like to train as a Wilmington Police officer, but shortly after the grand opening, the pandemic put a quick halt to those plans.

“We’re just excited to be to a point that we can do this. The last year or so, the zoom calls, the skype calls, they just do not offer that same level of interaction,” Police Chief Donny Williams said. “They’re convenient, but being able to have those interpersonal relationships, I just think they’re so important.”

The state-of-the-art facility includes a 100-yard indoor shooting range, a defensive driving simulator, a use-of-force simulator for de-escalation tactics, a place for K-9 officers to train, and more.

In the academy, civilians will be able to try their hand at the driving simulator, see what it’s like to make split-second decisions in the use of force simulator, learn more about the department’s culture, and more.

“It’s important that citizens know how our officers are trained and what our values are, what our agency is all about,” Williams said. “What we want to do is we want to get out there and make our community better.”

Chief Donny Williams says they’ve held events to engage citizens in the past, but this will be the first time their new facility will welcome civilians for the academy.

“Having all of those resources under one roof is very, very unique but having the ability to not only train your officers but to also engage your community,” Williams said.

Maintaining order and enforcing the law remains the department’s number one priority, but community engagement is a key to success.

“At the end of the day to make our community safer, we can’t do it alone. It’s going to be a community effort,” Williams said. “You have to engage the community to help build that trust to make it easier for all of us when it comes to order maintenance and enforcing the law.”

During a time when Chief Williams says that police are being painted as the enemy, he aims to rewrite the narrative with the help of programs like this, transparency, and community engagement.

“All African American males are not a threat, just like all police officers are not a threat to African American males,” Williams said. “It’s up to folks like me to help bridge those gaps there.”

Applications for the Citizens Police Academy are set to open sometime in June. The department hopes to offer different course options to best suit the interest and schedules of the applicants.

All participants in the academy must be residents of the City of Wilmington.