Gwinnett Citizens Get to Walk in Cops' Shoes

After weeks of training, 17 Gwinnett citizens are now armed with knowledge to help bridge the gap between the police and the community. They just completed the 's 21st Citizens Police Academy.

Twice a week for about nine weeks, the students learned about firearms, crime scene investigation, first aid and more. Lilburn resident Todd Burnette said his favorite part of the academy was learning how to drive like cops do. "Well, I'm pretty much of a racing fan," Burnette said with a laugh, "this learning how to drive safely was something that was pretty interesting. Seeing how they do it, how they train for it. So that was pretty fun to see, fun to be a part of."

This class consisted of people from all backgrounds. From chefs to county workers-- from retirees to registered nurses, like sisters Cindiella and Nancy Nixon from Peachtree Corners. Nurse Cindiella said she gained a new found respect for those who wear the badge after going through the training, and discovered that being a cop is a lot different than her regular job. “Oh! It’s a lot scarier, a lot more stress. There’s no comparison,” she said. 

Both sisters said overall, they enjoyed their experience. “We wanted to learn more about the community and how the police worked. And we had a wonderful time,” said Nancy with Cindiella nodding in agreement.

Burnette and the Nixon sisters’ experiences are exactly why GCPD offers this program, according to . “We can’t be successful without support from the community. And this is a way to get people inside the police departments, see what their police departments do every day,” said Walters.

The Chief hopes these graduates will become ambassadors for the GCPD. “This is about us making friends, seeing how things really work, as opposed to what they read in the newspaper or what they see on television… We want them to see what it’s really like and hopefully become big supporters of the police department.”