Watch CBS News

Police Community Program Helps Sacrametans See The Challenging Situations Cops Face

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — There were cheers and celebration at the Sacramento police headquarters Thursday night during a graduation ceremony.

Nineteen people graduated from a program designed to build relationships between the community and police.

"Going through this academy has opened up my eyes to a lot of things that they do," said Margo Santana, a graduate.

Santana is a mother and community activist. She says she wanted to see the world through police officers' eyes.

"It is a very stressful job. It's a quick job, you need to be focused," said Santana.

She plans to take what she learned and bring it to her Del Paso Heights neighborhood.

"It's our goal of building a bridge between our community and our police department," said Sgt. Vance Chandler with the Sacramento Police Department.

Chandler says the aim is to create trust with the people his department is charged to protect and serve.

"They have a dialogue to understand what we do, how we do what we do so that they have a better understanding of our practices," said Chandler.

The training includes discussions and lectures from law enforcement, as well as tactical response simulation.

"I failed," said Santana regarding the simulator exercise, "I probably would have shot somebody."

"It gave me a real perspective of the challenges we face," said pastor Anthony Sadler.

Different this year was the talk about the Stephon Clark shooting and community response. Clark was shot by police in the backyard of a relative's home. He was holding only a cell phone. Police say they believed he had a gun.

"What are the expectations from the community in order to be a responsible community member in light of current tensions, and what our law enforcement officers could do a better job at," said Sadler.

Sadler, who helped create the academy about seven years ago, says the talks were tense at times, but ultimately a positive dialogue.

"If just one person doesn't lose their life to gun violence, whether it be involving an officer or whether it be involving another youth, then all the years were worth it," he said.

The seven-week program is offered every year and is open to interested members of the public. Sadler says these community academies aren't the solution to improving police relations. But it's a piece of the solution and a positive start.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.