That is what several Criminal Justice Club students learned over the past week during several nights of classes as part of a Citizen’s Police academy.

The two-hour night classes focused around communication and technology, and community policing including narcotics investigation, crime scene investigation, traffic stops and operating while intoxicated arrests, said Central Michigan University Police Sgt. Trent Case, a facilitator. Case said the program was intended to give participants an inside look at the university’s police academy and the training officers go through.

“Once we establish this and get these guys through this program, we want to get as much feedback as possible,” he said.

The Citizens Academy is a pilot group this year. The Criminal Justice Club was selected as initial participants because many are interested in criminal justice and have a criminal justice background, Warren junior Matthew Weiland said. Next year, officials plan to open the training to the general public — other students, community members and high school seniors.

“It could be just anyone who wants to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be a police officer,” he said. “This program is good because a lot of us are getting exposure to this that we don’t get in our (educational) program.”

Weiland said he wants to work in federal law enforcement and he enjoyed getting involved in actual police training simulations.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the training was the Range 3000, which was used Saturday afternoon, said Westland junior Amanda Sundberg.

The firearms simulator develops scenarios for the student, Case said. Technicians can program the machine to place the student in fatal and non-fatal situations and tell him or her how much time they would have to react to each one.

Sundberg started the Criminal Justice Club this fall and the group is already at 40 members. The idea for the Citizens Academy came from Police Sgt. Riley Olson, who pitched the idea to Rebecca Hayes-Smith, the Criminal Justice Club’s faculty adviser.

“I pitched it to the (members) and they were 100 percent interested in doing it,” said the assistant professor of sociology.

Students rode with police officers Sunday through a law enforcement course to practice pursuit driving and practiced traffic enforcement stops. The weekend was designed to be more like a day-to-day police academy, Case said.

“I think everybody here is very passionate about criminal justice,” Sundberg said. “It shows (those going to the academy) what to expect.”

As he should, since he spent three years working with two federal agencies in Washington, D.C., before coming to Central Michigan University.

Witt, coordinator of residential security and Saxe residence hall director, said he felt his skills could be better used in the school system.

“I guess ultimately what I would like to do is draft public policy,” Witt said. “Not necessarily as an elected official, but as someone who writes policy as it relates to security in our schools.”

Witt works with a “If I was a Thief” program, which helps students understand how crimes can be prevented. The group walks through halls and checks doorknobs to see if they are locked.

Statistics show most crimes are crimes of opportunity, he said.

“If we find an unlocked door, we lock it and leave a note saying, ‘if I were a thief, I could have…,’” he said.

Criminal Justice 101

Witt’s passion started by taking a criminal justice class at Grand Valley State University, where he studied history.

He had a professor he liked — James Walker — and he wanted to take more of his classes. Witt said Walker was one of those campus-legend professors and a professor everyone wanted to take.

Witt took Walker’s Criminal Justice 101 class, continued study in that area and worked part-time for the GVSU Public Safety department.

GVSU Public Safety Capt. Brandon DeHaan said Witt was a positive influence while working for the department.

“Ben had a genuine concern for safety and for his fellow students,” DeHaan said. “He has a heart for the job.”

After graduating from GVSU, Witt went to the federal law enforcement training center in Artesia, N.M., instead of the police academy, he said.

His time in Artesia included physical and weapons training, along with learning the federal law code. After Artesia, he went to Maryland and started work six months later in Washington, D.C., where he profiled security for high-profile individuals, he said.

Leaving Washington

While in Washington, Witt’s passion shifted.

“After living in D.C. for three years, I knew the big-city life was not for me,” Witt said.

He left his work in law enforcement and started attending Central Michigan University for a master’s degree in public administration. With the degree, he hopes he can make a difference by bringing his knowledge of safety to the community, he said.

Last spring, his law enforcement experience provided another opportunity for him at CMU.

The knowledge Witt has about security made him the right man for coordinator of residential security, said Associate Director of Residence Life Shaun Holtgreive.

“Ben is uniquely qualified for this job with his expertise in security,” Holtgreive said.

Witt said he believes security policies and procedures work best if students, faculty and staff help make it work.

“We don’t ever want a culture at CMU where our students are so disconnected and disengaged that they are not looking out for one another,” Witt said.