Community policing from the inside out

The UB Police Department wants everyone who enrolls in its Citizens Police Academy to see right through them.  

Built around community policing, the academy (CPA) is focused on collaboration between UB police and members of the university community, promoting an interactive partnership that values proactive problem-solving, open communication, building relationships — and transparency.

Individuals enrolled in the CPA are instilled with a better understanding of law enforcement, University Police philosophies and how UBPD officers work with the UB community.

“The central purpose of the Citizens Police Academy is building a partnership — and trust — with the UB community,” says Gerald W. Schoenle Jr., UB’s chief of police.

“Establishing and maintaining mutual trust is a key goal. An important part of community policing occurs when an officer recognizes that they are part of a community, and the community understands the same about the officer.”

Conducted every spring, UBPD’s 2016 CPA began on Feb. 24, and met Wednesday evenings through April 20 in Bissell Hall on the North Campus.

Classes are taught by university police officers and public safety professionals. Attendance at each of the nine classes is required in order to graduate from the course.

Lt. David P. Urbanek has been directing the Citizens Police Academy since the program began in 2009.

“Each year approximately 20 members of the UB and surrounding communities are chosen from among our applicants for the new Citizens Police Academy class,” Urbanek says.

While anyone may apply to the CPA, individuals are selected based on their interest in learning more about UB’s police force and community policing. The final enrollees also must pass a background check conducted by University Police Investigations.

“After successfully completing the nine week program — and that is up to each individual — class members will have graduated with an in-depth understanding of how university police officers and the department’s senior leadership do their jobs,” Urbanek says.

“How decisions are made, and how we see our role as members of the UB community are threaded through all of the classes. The CPA is an ongoing process to build community cooperation, understanding and good will.”

Details of New York State’s Penal Code comprise one class, but represents only a portion of the laws that UBPD officers and senior leadership are required to master.

Additionally, CPA classes examine techniques employed by the University Police Criminal Investigation Bureau and crime scene investigators, fire and first aid response, responding to personal conflicts and domestic violence, sexual offenses, and alcohol and narcotics.  

CPA classes also provide a hands-on experience in many of the basics of police work.

Class members test their reactions to a simulated robbery or an assault call on campus. Police tactics, confronting fire and EMS situations, and hazardous materials incidents also are part of the curriculum. In addition, class members test their controlled driving skills, steering between tightly spaced traffic cones in a university patrol car at 25 to 30 mph.

A ride-along program provides a street-level view of law enforcement, with each class member riding as a partner with a UBPD officer during a shift patrolling UB’s North and South campuses.

“Ride-along programs are a key part of citizen police academies across the country because they put the individual in the patrol car with an officer,” Urbanek says.

“It provides the opportunity to see that police work can instantly shift from a quiet stretch of time to a crisis situation.”

“The Citizens Police Academy was an important experience for me,” says Philip L. Glick, professor of surgery, pediatrics and management.

As chair of the Faculty Senate, Glick chose to attend the academy to learn more about how the UBPD fits into the UB community.

“UB is very complex and this filled in a whole gap of information for me,” he says. “I was struck by the empathy that UB police officers have for the students. As a trauma surgeon, you are not usually in the mix. But as first-responder you are totally in the mix.

“I also came away impressed by the level of continuing education in the department —keeping up with the latest certifications and having expertise in the use of lifesaving tools such as Narcan.”

Andrea Costantino, director of Campus Living, is a 2015 CPA graduate. Citing the UBPD’s community-policing philosophy, Costantino says a key goal for her was building a mutually beneficial relationship with University Police.

“Campus Living and UB police officers very often work together,” she explains. “It's important to have a good understanding of the goals, objectives, philosophies and inner workings of a department that you work closely with. I wanted to know what a typical day as a police officer looks like and how our university officers handle the day-to-day issues on our campus.

“Over the years I’ve learned to trust our university police force, and I thought it was important to show that trust and support their community outreach,” she says.

Cindy Konovitz, assistant dean for informatics and support services, and director of the apothecary and historical exhibits in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, is a 2009 graduate of the academy. Konovitz applied to the program to learn more about the UBPD.

“I did not realize that, years later, part of my responsibilities would involve the safety of our students, faculty and staff,” she says.

“I feel that UB’s police really do care about the UB community. They are also dedicated to assisting in the communities in which UB has a large footprint.

“There were city of Buffalo neighborhood leaders in my class, and it was very interesting to hear their perspectives regarding some of the topics that were discussed.”

UPBD’s Citizens Police Academy is not a training program for future police officers.

“Some of our graduates do transition into careers in law enforcement, however,” Urbanek says.

“Many work here at UB. Others become liaisons to the community or, in government roles, help to direct the way government resources — including police services — are provided at the community level.”

Schoenle notes that the UB CPA has become a model for other university police departments. “Everyone benefits from building greater trust between a university community and a university’s police department,” he says.

Adds Glick: “I feel it is an important experience. I think it should be suggested to all new UB leaders.”