Across the Fence: Behind the Scenes of Real-Life Police Work

“Apply today for the Lakewood Police Citizens Academy” – this article ran this last May 2 in The Suburban Times, and it electrified me. I had known about the program for a while, but hadn’t been ready to apply in the past. I had always wanted to know how law enforcement works – not just because, among others, I’m writing mysteries. Whether police work is really like it is presented on television or in detective novels. What they have to deal with. Here was the link to the website, and I made my decision on the spot. After telling my husband that he’d spend eight consecutive Tuesday nights alone this summer – provided I would be accepted – I filled in the application form for my background check.

I didn’t have to wait long for a reply. Captain Chris Westby soon sent all future participants emails with more details and on June 11, the journey of looking behind the scenes of the Lakewood Police Department began. Twelve participants from all walks of life gathered in a large classroom at the station on Lakewood Drive SW, were handed polo shirts and badges, and received an introduction into the history and structure of the city’s police department. A guided tour through the building was our first eye-opener. Let’s just say, there is so much more than office cubicles, interviewing rooms, and holding cells. Think of anything that comes to your mind when thinking of police work – Lakewood’s station has it! We participants weren’t shy for long, either. Encouraged to ask questions, we bombarded Captain Westby. The scheduled two and a half hours’ class easily turned into a thrilling three hour one! And that was only the beginning of a program that ended on the last Tuesday of July.

We learned that patrol officers use their cars as offices, that the Marine Services are called in for all kinds of rescues in the whole of Pierce County, including diving, and that the biggest unmanned drone costs as much as a brand-new car – because of its night vision cameras. How important details are when calling South Sound 911 and that Community Policing can literally change the face of a neighborhood. We got insight in criminal investigation and that after 48 hours there is a 50% lesser chance of identifying a suspect, which means that time is of high importance. How different institutions work together on critical incidents like a train derailment, and we were permitted to inspect an armored vehicle the Special Response Team uses. We learned that K9 teams, man and dog, understand each other wordlessly and were permitted to pet playful K9 dog Kona. We got to know the Special Response Team, the Behavioral Health Contact Team, the Auto Theft Taskforce, and the Civil Disturbance Team.

We learned about the incredible cost of tools for the Forensic Services and how, often enough, they rely on donations; about three different courts at the Lakewood Municipal Court (two of which are helping on a behavioral level). We learned that, by Washington State law, police cannot pursue and bring home runaways, which makes minors even more vulnerable, and that since the pursuit of car thieves has been re-permitted, the number of car thefts has drastically decreased. That the Lakewood Police Department cooperates with other cities’ departments and lends their manpower whenever it is needed, but also receives support from their partners.

We learned about emergency management and how a citizen of Lakewood can be prepared for the case of the Big One. It was painful for me as a trained old-school, Old-World journalist to hear how the media often listen to the judgement of bystanders because they want to be the first to spread the news on a case, instead of waiting for the whole picture the Public Information Officer would give them. It was important to get an idea of how to analyze a potentially dangerous situation as quickly as possible or how to act as a witness in a collision case. Come to think of it, these eight evenings at the multi-purpose room that also serves as an Emergency Operations Center, passed in a jiffy. I have certainly never been in any class before that was so involved with any topic that was presented by the representatives of each individual team.

As participants of this year’s Citizens’ Academy we were not just sitting, listening, asking questions, and nibbling delicious, home-made cookies and pastries, though. We also got real action on two Saturdays.

The first one was an entire half-day of driving a police car through a police training obstacle course. The last lap got timed. Though we all are seasoned drivers, the challenge lay in the narrowness of the course, in abrupt or extreme turns, and in … a slalom backwards, while trying not to hit any of the pylons AND to be as fast as possible. Some of us really rocked it. (I was third but last with only one “casualty”.)

The second Saturday was a half-hour time slot per person in a busy schedule for the police team in charge. This time, we were geared with virtual reality equipment and a gun. We were sent into so-called force scenarios, having to come up with split-second decisions. If anybody hadn’t known by now what the police are facing each and every day, this was certainly a mind-blowing experience. We were only going through two virtual reality scenarios each. Think about police officers going through one real-life incident after another, each of them different, all shift long, through the course of an entire work-week. Then think of having to write a report of each incident, to be put on file, describing in minute detail what happened when, where, how, and why. In between – because they are short-staffed – they might have to work on a different team on a different incident. They are constantly taking classes on law changes, on new technology, or ones that deepen and broaden what other skills are in demand. And after a day of exhausting human interaction, they come home to be husbands/wives, fathers/mothers, and neighbors like you and I. Only, that they are ready to lay their lives on the line for us citizens with each call they get, not knowing how they will be received on the scene.

We graduated on July 30, all twelve of us, in a small ceremony in which we received certificates. Though it was clear from the start that we appreciate the work the Lakewood Police Department has committed itself to, with insight into their daily workload and challenges, physical as well as mental, it was hard to find words for how much even more their service means to us now. We bonded as a class, but our perception of the police has also shifted. We have come to understand their different angle so much better.

To have been let in so closely on a very special life concept – for it is not just a job – was an honor, a privilege, and a wonderful experience. If YOU would care to be part of this program, please check the website https://cityoflakewood.us/citizensacademy/ for the next available classes in 2025. It is exciting education, a way to connect and understand better, and a way of thanking the police for making our lives safer on so many levels.