LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The decades-old Citizen’s Academy Program allows everyday Lincolnites to gain insight into how the police force operates.

“I think it helps community members have a better understanding of the why behind a lot of the things that they might see when they see an officer,” said Assistant Police Chief Ryan Dale.

Dale says he’s seen how the program has evolved over the years, but also how the experience of each student changes over the weeks of classes.

He says many start with a desire to learn police terminology, but walk away with a deeper understanding.

“By the second or third weekend, they start talking more about the way officers humanized the work that they were doing,” said Dale.

Many students agreed with this realization, like Edward Aken, a sixth-grade teac

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