Supporting those who protect usWe received in interesting education in the New Berlin Police Citizens Academy Alumni Association during our April 8 meeting. Representing the association were president Stephanie Brown, Treasurer Jerry Vogel and (seated between them) board member Bernie Kramer.
Founded in 2011, the association is open to all alumni of the New Berlin Police Department's Citizens Academy. As Stephanie Brown explains, the academy is a free, 11-week course that exposes citizens to all phases of law enforcement work. "[The course] is designed to give people a better understanding of what the police department does."
Each session focuses on a separate area of law enforcement. Subjects include crime scene investigation, drug investigations, patrol procedures, and firearms fundamentals, among others. Students also get to ride along with an officer during a shift. The ride is especially valuable, Stephanie says, because students "get to see firsthand that [the police officers] are just like you and me." The course is open to adults who live or work in New Berlin.
Graduates are welcome to join the alumni association. Dues are $10.00 per year. In addition to quarterly membership meetings, the association hosts several fundraisers throughout the year. Since starting in 2011, the association has donated $32,000 to the police department. Those funds have gone toward a variety of projects, including:
- Quick Clot Medical kits for each officer
- Tables, chairs and lectern for a new training room
- Tables, chairs and lectern for a new training room
- A SWAT team shield
- Custom lockers for the SWAT team
- Three pieces of exercise equipment for the department's gym
For more information on the citizens academy or the alumni association, call 414-425-4997.
-----------------------------------------------
Also during this meeting, Mark Juds, a board member of KIDS From Wisconsin, requested raffle items for the KIDS' premier show on June 24. The raffle with raise funds for the group's outreach efforts. KIDS alumni mentor students interested in music. If you'd like to donate an item or have a question, call 414-266-7067.Mark, son of Rotarian Audrey Juds, is a KIDS alumnus. He played the trombone during their 1969 season.