Police Academy: Citizen on Patrol

For eleven weeks, I had the opportunity to step inside the world of the Livonia Police Department through the 2026 Livonia Citizen Police Academy — and this episode documents the entire experience.

From SWAT demonstrations and accident reconstruction to crisis negotiations, K9 training, ride-alongs, use-of-force policy, crime scene investigations, active shooter response, and virtual reality scenario training, this program offered an unfiltered look at the realities of modern policing and the people behind the badge.

In this episode, I share:

What I learned during all eleven weeks of the academy
My ride-along experience with Officer David Wohlgemuth
Meeting Kasimir, Livonia PD’s K9 German Shepherd
Behind-the-scenes insight into specialized police units
Reflections on officer wellness, mental health, and de-escalation
The emotional Honor Guard presentation
Graduation night with Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan and Chief Thomas Goralski
And how the experience changed my perspective on law enforcement and community engagement.

This wasn’t a political experience.
It wasn’t a PR stunt.
It was an educational opportunity that provided context, nuance, and firsthand exposure to work most people only ever see through headlines or social media clips.

I’m incredibly thankful to the Livonia Police Department, the instructors, officers, dispatchers, clinicians, and fellow classmates who made the academy such a memorable experience.

Additional photos, videos, audio clips, and behind-the-scenes content from the academy will be available soon at: 🌐 Curator135.com

Transcript

For ten weeks, I walked into the Livonia Police Department expecting to learn how policing works. What I didn’t expect was how complicated, human, stressful… and at times uncomfortable… the experience would become.

I’ve spent years talking about crime stories on this show. Some of the darkest stories ever connected to Livonia. And if you’ve listened for a while, you already know one case in particular has stayed with me more than most — the Jonathan Wofenbarger case… and the 2001 Pesci murders.

When I was researching that series… and later while working on the book… I had the opportunity to meet Livonia Police Chief Tom Goralski. At the time, those conversations were centered around the investigation, department history, and trying to better understand the people behind the badge — not just the headlines.

So when I heard about the Livonia Citizen’s Police Academy… honestly, I signed up immediately.

I wanted to see what most people never get to see.

How officers are trained.

How decisions are made.

What happens behind closed doors after a 911 call.

How dispatch works.

What detectives actually do.

What officers deal with mentally.

And maybe most importantly… how the department sees the community it serves.

Over the course of ten weeks, we sat inside classrooms, training facilities, patrol briefings, and demonstrations that covered everything from traffic enforcement and use-of-force simulations… to investigations, firearms training, dispatch operations, narcotics, and community response.

And somewhere along the way… this stopped feeling like a program. It became an experience.

One that challenged some assumptions I had. Confirmed others.

And forced me to think harder about the relationship between police departments and the communities around them.

This episode isn’t a commercial for the police department.

And it’s not an attack on policing either.

It’s simply an honest account of what I saw… what surprised me… what stayed with me… and what I think people should understand about modern policing — especially here in Livonia.

So today… I want to take you through all ten weeks of the Livonia Citizen’s Police Academy.

The people I met. The things I learned.

The moments that genuinely caught me off guard.

And why I walked away with a far more nuanced perspective than when I walked in.

Welcome to year six of the Curator 135 Podcast, my name is Nathan Olli and this is episode 106 Police Academy: Citizen on Patrol. 

PLAY: 0:58 Intro CPA Week 1 Movie

Week one really felt like orientation, but it also quietly established what the entire academy was going to be about: community.

Walking into the Livonia Police Department for the first class, I already had a little bit of familiarity with the department because of my previous work on the Jonathan Wofenbarger and Pesci murders series. During the research for that project — and later while working on the book — I had the opportunity to meet Chief Thomas Goralski. So coming into the academy, there was already a sense of familiarity there, and honestly, I was looking forward to seeing him again in a completely different setting.

Chief Goralski opened the academy with an introduction to both the department and the purpose behind the Citizen’s Police Academy itself. He’s been with Livonia PD since 1989, which means he’s seen policing evolve through several completely different eras — from the pre-internet years, through the explosion of technology, social media, body cameras, and the modern climate surrounding law enforcement. You could tell immediately this wasn’t designed as some kind of public relations presentation. The focus was transparency and interaction.

And that became the theme of the entire night.

The academy runs for ten weeks, usually from six until around nine-thirty at night, and the group itself was incredibly diverse. There were retirees, city employees, longtime residents, people newer to the area, and people from all kinds of backgrounds. I remember noting just how many different perspectives were represented in the room. Different ages, different careers, different life experiences. Some people clearly supported law enforcement strongly already, while others seemed more skeptical or were there because they simply wanted answers about how things worked.

One thing I found interesting right away was how much emphasis the department placed on community engagement programs. They talked about events like “Cops and Cones,” which is funny because it’s held at the ice cream shop where my daughter works. That was one of those moments where you realize policing in a city like Livonia isn’t just patrol cars and arrests. A huge part of the department’s mission is visibility and accessibility — getting officers out interacting with residents in non-emergency situations.

We also got introductions to several members of the department and learned about the structure of Livonia PD — from patrol to investigations to command staff. Names started getting attached to divisions and responsibilities. At that point, a lot of it was still alphabet soup to me — lieutenant this, sergeant that, investigations, mobile field force — but over the coming weeks, those pieces started connecting together.

The station tour itself was fascinating because the building has history to it. The current police headquarters dates back to the early 1960s, and honestly, parts of it feel very much like a building that has simply evolved over decades rather than being built all at once for modern policing. You can feel the age of the structure in certain areas. It’s functional, but also layered with history. Every hallway feels like something happened there at some point.

That first night was less about dramatic moments and more about setting the stage for everything that would follow. It established that this academy wasn’t just going to be lectures about laws or statistics. It was really about understanding the human side of the department — the people, the systems, the pressures, and the relationship between the police and the community they serve.

And honestly, by the end of week one, I think most of us realized this was going to be far more in-depth than we originally expected.

PLAY 1:14 Intro CPA Week 2 Movie

Week two was where the academy really shifted gears.

Week one was about introductions, community engagement, and understanding the philosophy behind the department. But week two felt like stepping behind the curtain and seeing the operational side of policing for the first time.

This session focused on the Investigative Bureau, narcotics investigations, dispatch, patrol operations, and how cases move through the system from the initial 911 call all the way through prosecution.

And honestly, there was a lot more going on than I expected.

One of the first things they discussed was the ride-along program, which immediately got everybody’s attention. They explained how citizens can actually spend time riding with officers during shifts, observing patrol work in real time. There were waivers, restrictions, scheduling rules, and guidelines — no holidays, no major special events, no interfering with police work — but the fact that they even allow civilians to experience that side of policing was fascinating to me.

Then the night moved into the Intelligence Bureau and narcotics investigations.

This was probably the first class where the reality of modern crime in suburban communities really hit home.

I think a lot of people still picture places like Livonia as being mostly insulated from major drug activity, but the statistics and stories we heard painted a very different picture. Officers discussed undercover operations, narcotics buys, search warrants, surveillance operations, and how much coordination goes into long-term investigations.

They talked about heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine — and not in abstract terms. These were active investigations happening in and around the city.

One thing that stood out to me was hearing how sophisticated drug trafficking has become. Officers described hidden compartments in vehicles, drugs concealed in transmissions, seats, airbags, and other places most people would never think to check. They explained how narcotics are diluted with cutting agents to increase profit margins and how cartels “stamp” product for identification and distribution purposes.

It was honestly eye-opening hearing this discussed in such a matter-of-fact way because it completely shattered the stereotype that this type of crime only exists somewhere else.

The department also showed us some of the tools used during raids and warrant service. Breaching rams, pry bars, shields, window-entry tools, rifles, K9 deployment equipment — all the equipment designed for situations where officers may be entering dangerous environments with very little information about what’s waiting on the other side of a door.

And hearing all of that while simultaneously learning how carefully search warrants have to be built legally was interesting too. They walked us through the actual steps of a criminal investigation:

initial case evaluation, field work, suspect identification, evidence gathering, interviews, search warrants, prosecutor review, and eventually court preparation.

TV and movies compress investigations into forty-five minutes. In reality, it sounded like an enormous amount of paperwork, coordination, and patience.

One thing I found especially interesting was learning about some of the technology investigators now rely on. They discussed systems used to track stolen property from pawn shops, facial recognition tools, license plate reader systems, and surveillance technology that helps identify suspects and track criminal activity across multiple jurisdictions.

And then there was dispatch.

Honestly, dispatch might have been the biggest surprise of the entire night for me.

We learned that every 911 call made in Livonia routes directly into the Livonia Police Department dispatch center. They explained systems like LEIN — the Law Enforcement Information Network — and CLEMIS, which connects dispatchers and law enforcement agencies across multiple cities and jurisdictions.

But the moment that really stuck with me was when they let me place a 911 call from inside dispatch itself.

The dispatcher showed me how rapidly the system identifies your location, especially through modern cellphone GPS mapping programs. Watching that happen in real time was fascinating. Within moments, they could determine where the call was coming from while simultaneously continuing to gather information from the caller.

And what struck me most was realizing dispatchers are constantly multitasking at an incredibly high level. They can be asking questions, calming someone down, dispatching officers, updating computer systems, and coordinating emergency response all at the same time.

That’s a level of pressure most people never see.

The final portion of the night focused on patrol operations.

They discussed the size of the department, the growth of Livonia itself, and the sheer volume of calls officers respond to every year. What started as a much smaller department decades ago has grown into a city-wide operation covering thirty-six square miles and serving roughly one hundred thousand residents.

And one statistic really stood out to me: tens of thousands of calls for service every single year.

That means officers are constantly moving. Traffic complaints, domestic calls, suspicious persons, medical emergencies, thefts, disturbances — the workload never really stops.

By the end of week two, the biggest takeaway for me was realizing how interconnected everything is.

Dispatch isn’t separate from patrol.

Patrol isn’t separate from investigations.

Investigations aren’t separate from prosecutors.

And none of it works without communication flowing constantly between all of them.

Before this class, I think I viewed policing mostly through the lens most civilians do — the visible moments. Traffic stops. Arrests. Crime scenes.

But week two started showing us the enormous infrastructure operating underneath those moments that most people never think about unless they suddenly need help.

3:15 ‘New Recording 45’ on phone (Pharmacy B&E’s) 2025 Trooper 2 Mich St Police

Play 0:53 Intro CPA Week 3 Movie

Week three focused on the Traffic Services Bureau, accident reconstruction, traffic enforcement, and active shooter response training. And this was probably the first week where I realized how much police work revolves around things most people never even think about until they suddenly become part of their lives.

Traffic enforcement sounds simple on paper. Most people probably hear “traffic division” and immediately think speeding tickets. But this class showed just how broad that responsibility actually is.

The Livonia Police Department divides the city into six different sections, covering roughly four hundred thirty-two total miles of roadway. And when you actually stop and think about that, it’s enormous. Every one of those miles has to be monitored for crashes, reckless driving, disabled vehicles, traffic hazards, drunk drivers, construction issues, and emergency response.

Traffic Services operates around the clock.

And beyond routine enforcement, they’re also responsible for crash investigations, hit-and-run cases, school bus complaints, and accident reconstruction for serious injury or fatal crashes.

One thing that surprised me was how scientific accident reconstruction has become.

The officers explained that older reconstruction methods could take several hours on scene measuring distances and documenting evidence manually. Now they use advanced GPS mapping systems and drone technology that can document an entire crash scene incredibly quickly with precise measurements and aerial imaging.

The drone systems were especially fascinating because officers can essentially program a flight path and allow the drone to map the entire crash site automatically. It’s a reminder that modern policing relies just as much on technology and data collection as traditional enforcement.

They also discussed radar and laser speed enforcement, which honestly answered questions I think almost every driver has wondered at some point. Radar units can detect multiple vehicles at once, while laser systems isolate a specific vehicle. So when somebody says, “There were too many cars around for them to know it was me,” apparently… not necessarily.

And then they shared some of the highest speeds ever recorded in Livonia.

One driver was clocked doing one hundred fifty miles per hour in a seventy mile-per-hour zone on I-96 near Inkster.

Another was stopped doing ninety-one in a forty-five on westbound Eight Mile.

And hearing those numbers out loud kind of changes your perspective because at those speeds, officers aren’t just talking about speeding tickets anymore. They’re talking about situations that can instantly become fatal.

The department also talked about Michigan’s “Move Over Law,” requiring drivers to either move over a lane or significantly reduce speed when approaching emergency vehicles on the roadside. It’s one of those laws people hear about constantly, but after listening to officers describe near misses during traffic stops, it became obvious why they emphasize it so heavily.

Another major topic that night was the STAR program — Strategic Traffic Accident Reduction — which began back in 2003. The goal is basically data-driven enforcement: identifying high-accident intersections and increasing visibility and patrol presence in those targeted areas.

And hearing some of the intersections that consistently generate problems honestly wasn’t surprising if you’ve lived in Livonia long enough. Places like Middlebelt and Schoolcraft, Schoolcraft and Newburgh, Plymouth and Middlebelt — intersections residents probably drive through every single day without realizing how frequently accidents happen there.

But the second half of the night shifted into a much heavier topic: active shooter response.

And because I work in a school environment, this was already something I unfortunately had prior exposure to through workplace training. But hearing it discussed directly by law enforcement — especially the realities behind rapid deployment — added another layer to it.

The officers explained how active shooter response philosophy has changed dramatically over the years.

Traditionally, police would often secure a perimeter and wait for specialized teams. But modern rapid deployment training emphasizes immediate action. Officers are trained to move toward the threat as quickly as possible, even before full backup arrives, because every second matters during an active violence situation.

They discussed concepts like:

locating and stopping the threat,

shrinking the danger zone,

and evacuating civilians as quickly as possible.

And honestly, this part of the class was difficult at times because the statistics are sobering.

They talked about how many active shooter incidents involve suicidal intent from the attacker. They discussed school shootings, casualty numbers, and the emotional toll these incidents take not just on victims and families, but also on first responders and dispatchers.

One statement that really stayed with me was hearing how hospitals can quickly become overwhelmed during mass casualty events. There was discussion about trauma response capacity and how even major hospitals can only handle a limited number of simultaneous emergency surgeries at once.

That’s the kind of reality most people never think about.

The instructors also discussed critical incident stress management — essentially the mental health side of responding to traumatic events. And I appreciated that they addressed that openly because it acknowledged something important: these incidents affect everybody involved long after the scene is over.

Week three really highlighted two very different sides of policing.

On one side, you had the routine daily realities of traffic enforcement and crash response — things most people encounter regularly without giving them much thought.

And on the other side, you had preparation for absolute worst-case scenarios.

Both require training.

Both require rapid decision-making.

And both carry consequences that can change lives instantly.

PLAY 0:34 Intro CPA Week 4 Movie

Week four was probably the most psychologically intense class up to that point.

This session focused on the Crime Scene Unit and the Western Wayne Crisis Negotiators Team, and what stood out immediately was how different both of those assignments are from the version of police work most people picture in their heads.

A lot of police work is reactive and immediate.

But crime scene processing and crisis negotiation are almost the opposite.

They require patience.

Precision.

Observation.

And an enormous amount of emotional control.

The night started with discussions about ride-alongs and general safety conversations with Chief Goralski, including something incredibly simple but telling: lock your car doors. It sounds basic, but it reflected something we kept hearing throughout the academy — most crime prevention starts with small habits people often ignore because they assume “it won’t happen here.”

Then we moved into the Crime Scene Unit.

And honestly, this part of the academy felt like stepping directly into the forensic side of criminal investigations that most people only ever see dramatized on television.

The instructors explained that the core responsibility of the Crime Scene Unit is simple in theory:

document,

preserve,

and collect evidence.

But the actual process is incredibly technical.

They discussed latent fingerprint examination and the ACE-V scientific method:

analysis,

comparison,

evaluation,

and verification.

What fascinated me was hearing how detailed fingerprint examination actually becomes. It’s not just matching swirls and patterns like people imagine from TV. Investigators examine ridge flow, ridge paths, pore structures, and microscopic details unique to every individual print.

And despite how much DNA technology has advanced, they explained that fingerprints are often still faster to process and can quickly reopen historical cold cases.

The Crime Scene Unit also demonstrated some of the techniques used to recover prints and evidence:

powders,

magnetic powders,

chemical fuming,

dye stains,

special lighting systems,

and alternative light sources.

It honestly sounded like a hybrid between law enforcement and laboratory science.

Technology has dramatically changed the field too. They discussed digital photography, 360-degree scene imaging, drones, and AFIS — the Automated Fingerprint Identification System used to compare prints against massive databases.

But the part that really stayed with me was when they started discussing actual cases.

And this is where the atmosphere in the room noticeably shifted.

The instructors talked through investigations involving homicides, fire scenes, overdose deaths, infant kidnappings, and violent crime scenes they had personally worked.

One story involved an overdose victim whose body had been buried. Another involved a homicide investigation connected to a vacant house in Detroit. Hearing investigators describe decomposition, bug activity, scene preservation, and evidence recovery in such clinical detail was a reminder that these investigators regularly encounter situations most people could barely stomach seeing once.

And yet they have to stay methodical.

Because emotion can’t interfere with evidence collection.

That realization hit hard.

But then the class transitioned into something equally intense in an entirely different way: crisis negotiations.

The Western Wayne Crisis Negotiators Team serves multiple communities across western Wayne County, including Livonia, Canton, Plymouth, Westland, Redford, Garden City, Romulus, and several others. These are the people called in during barricaded gunman situations, hostage incidents, suicidal crises, and standoffs where communication becomes the most important tool available.

And what surprised me most was learning that negotiation is often more psychological than tactical.

The negotiators explained that their primary goals are:

safe return of hostages,

convincing individuals to peacefully give up,

and assisting tactical teams if force ultimately becomes necessary.

But ideally, nobody gets hurt.

They discussed the personality traits negotiators need:

insightfulness,

street awareness,

clear thinking,

verbal fluency,

and emotional control.

One phrase they used really stuck with me:

“Never use the word surrender.”

Because to somebody already in crisis, that word can feel humiliating or final. Negotiators instead try to create alternatives and preserve dignity while slowly guiding someone toward a peaceful resolution.

And honestly, hearing the psychology behind these incidents was fascinating and disturbing at the same time.

They explained that many hostage or barricade situations involve some combination of paranoia, depression, anger, desperation, or hopelessness. Often the individual feels trapped and believes they only have a limited number of perceived options left.

One of the real-world incidents discussed involved a barricaded gunman situation on Blue Skies Drive in Livonia back in November 2019.

Two court officers had arrived to carry out an eviction shortly before Thanksgiving when the situation escalated into a barricaded gunman incident involving a distressed homeowner worried his family would become homeless for the holidays.

2:30 ‘New Recording 48’ on phone (Blue Skies Shooting 911).

The negotiators also talked about the specialized tools they use, including throw phones equipped with cameras that allow communication and visual monitoring during barricade situations.

What week four really reinforced for me was how much modern policing depends on communication and restraint — not just force.

The Crime Scene Unit requires patience and precision.

Negotiators rely on psychology and conversation.

And both disciplines are built around slowing chaos down long enough to save lives, preserve evidence, and hopefully bring situations to peaceful conclusions.

By the end of the night, I think everybody in the room understood something important:

Some of the most critical police work happens long after the adrenaline wears off.

Week five focused on community engagement, professional standards, crisis clinicians, and a drone demonstration — although unfortunately, I ended up missing this week.

And honestly, I was disappointed because this sounded like one of the more interesting modern policing topics, especially the integration of mental health professionals directly into law enforcement response.

One of the biggest changes happening in policing over the last several years has been the growing recognition that not every crisis is purely a criminal issue. A lot of calls officers respond to involve mental health struggles, addiction, suicidal ideation, family conflict, homelessness, or emotional breakdowns where arrest alone doesn’t really solve the underlying problem.

That’s where crisis clinicians come in.

Many departments now partner mental health professionals with officers to help de-escalate situations involving people in crisis. Instead of treating every incident purely as an enforcement issue, clinicians can provide assessment, intervention, referrals, and immediate mental health support during calls where someone may be experiencing severe emotional distress or psychological crisis.

And honestly, the more I learned throughout this academy, the more obvious it became that police officers are often expected to wear an impossible number of hats at once:

law enforcement,

medical first response,

social work,

conflict mediation,

mental health intervention,

community relations,

and crisis management.

Programs involving crisis clinicians seem designed to recognize that officers shouldn’t have to handle all of those responsibilities entirely alone.

One aspect of the crisis clinician role that I think deserves a lot more attention is the support they can provide not just to civilians in crisis — but to officers themselves.

Throughout the academy, we kept hearing about situations officers regularly encounter that most people will hopefully never experience firsthand: fatal crashes, suicides, child abuse cases, overdoses, violent assaults, domestic violence scenes, and active shooter incidents. And the reality is, officers don’t just see these things once. They see them repeatedly over the course of entire careers.

That kind of repeated exposure takes a psychological toll whether people want to admit it or not.

Crisis clinicians and critical incident support teams can help departments address the mental health side of policing by providing counseling resources, stress management, trauma intervention, and post-incident support after especially difficult calls. In many cases, officers are expected to leave one traumatic situation and immediately move on to the next call without much time to process what they just witnessed.

And I think the academy did a good job highlighting something important: maintaining officer mental health isn’t just about helping police officers personally — it also affects decision-making, emotional regulation, burnout, and ultimately how officers interact with the public.

The phrase “critical incident stress management” came up multiple times during the academy, especially during discussions involving active shooters and traumatic investigations. That really stood out to me because it acknowledged something law enforcement culture historically hasn’t always talked openly about: trauma accumulates.

And departments now seem far more aware that ignoring that reality can have serious consequences both for officers and the communities they serve.

The class also covered professional standards, which essentially deals with accountability inside the department itself — internal investigations, policies, conduct reviews, and maintaining public trust. That’s another side of policing most civilians rarely think about unless a major incident makes headlines.

And then there was the drone demonstration, which unfortunately I missed that night.

But ironically, I ended up getting a much more personal look at the drone program later during my ride-along, which honestly worked out even better because I got to see it deployed in a real-world setting rather than just a classroom demonstration.

By this point in the academy, one thing was becoming very clear: modern policing is evolving rapidly.

Technology is changing.

Training is changing.

Mental health response is changing.

Community engagement is changing.

And whether people support law enforcement strongly, criticize it heavily, or fall somewhere in between, it’s impossible to ignore how many different responsibilities departments are now trying to balance simultaneously.

PLAY 0:28 Intro CPA Week 6 Movie

Week six was all about the Western Wayne County Special Operations Team — essentially SWAT — along with tactical emergency medicine and CPR training. And this was one of the weeks where the academy really showed the overlap between military-style preparedness and emergency medical response.

Because one thing that became very clear during this class is that modern tactical teams are not just trained to stop threats. They’re also trained to immediately save lives once those threats are neutralized.

The Special Operations Team handles the situations regular patrol officers hope never happen:

barricaded suspects,

hostage rescues,

high-risk warrant service,

armed standoffs,

and potentially active deadly violence situations.

The officers walked us through the structure of the team itself — sniper teams, breach teams, negotiators, tactical entry units — and the amount of specialized equipment they use was incredible.

They demonstrated breaching tools, armored vehicles, drones, night vision systems, robots used for remote reconnaissance, ballistic shields, tactical medical kits, and less-lethal options like pepper-ball systems and chemical irritants.

One vehicle they showed us was the BearCat armored rescue vehicle, designed to protect officers and civilians during high-risk incidents. It’s the kind of thing people usually only see on the news after major incidents, but hearing why these tools exist gave them much more context.

The team also discussed several real-world incidents they had responded to over the years, including hostage situations and lengthy barricaded suspect standoffs that lasted for hours — sometimes even days.

One case involved a Canton bank robbery where hostages were taken inside a Citizens Bank branch. Another involved a child hostage situation in Romulus. And hearing these stories directly from the officers involved really reinforced something we’d already started learning throughout the academy:

Most major police incidents are not fast-moving movie scenes.

They’re long.

Complicated.

Emotionally exhausting.

And incredibly unpredictable.

Another thing that stood out was how much emphasis SWAT places on planning and patience. People often imagine tactical teams bursting through doors immediately, but the reality sounded much more controlled. Negotiators, surveillance, drones, robots, communication systems, medical planning — every possible effort is made to slow situations down and avoid unnecessary harm.

But the second half of the night shifted into something equally important: emergency medical care.

And honestly, this may have been one of the most practical classes of the entire academy.

The officers discussed Tactical Emergency Casualty Care — basically emergency trauma treatment designed for violent or chaotic situations where immediate medical response can save lives before paramedics even arrive.

They walked us through tourniquets, combat gauze, trauma dressings, chest seals, airway management, and severe bleeding control. It was sobering hearing how much emphasis modern police training now places on trauma medicine because officers are often the very first people arriving at scenes involving shootings, severe crashes, or catastrophic injuries.

The instructors repeatedly emphasized something simple but critical:

massive bleeding can kill someone in minutes.

And because of that, officers now carry extensive medical kits in their vehicles alongside their tactical gear.

We also covered CPR and AED training.

Every squad car carries an AED — an automated external defibrillator — and they walked us through CPR procedures for adults and infants, including chest compressions, rescue breathing, and scene safety protocols.

What really struck me during this class was how much policing has evolved into emergency response in the broadest possible sense.

Officers today are expected to be tacticians,

negotiators,

first responders,

and trauma care providers all at once.

And whether they’re responding to a barricaded gunman or somebody collapsing from cardiac arrest, the expectation is immediate action.

By the end of week six, one thing had become increasingly obvious:

the public usually only sees police work during the most dramatic moments.

But what we weren’t seeing before this academy was the enormous amount of preparation, training, and coordination happening constantly behind the scenes long before those moments ever occur.

PLAY 1:55 CPA Ridealong Movie

Before the ride-along even officially started, I had another experience that honestly ended up being one of the cooler moments of the academy: getting to spend some time with Kasimir, the Livonia Police Department K9.

And I’ll admit — seeing a police dog up close is a little intimidating at first. These animals are highly trained working dogs capable of tracking suspects, locating narcotics, and assisting officers during dangerous situations. You immediately understand why officers rely on them so heavily.

But at the same time, Kasimir was incredibly friendly once things relaxed a little, and it was interesting seeing that balance between companion and working animal. One minute you’re looking at a dog that could be deployed into a high-risk situation, and the next minute he’s interacting calmly with people like any other well-trained dog.

It was one of those moments that humanized the department even more for me because behind all the tactical gear, training, and serious situations, there are still these very personal connections between officers and their K9 partners.

I’ll actually have photos of my interaction with Kasimir posted on Curator135.com because it really was a memorable experience. And what’s funny is that this wouldn’t be the last time I’d see him during the academy. Kasimir ended up becoming one of those recurring “characters” throughout the experience that everybody looked forward to seeing again.

The ride-along ended up being one of the most important parts of the entire academy for me because it was the first time I got to see policing unfold in real time instead of through presentations or classroom discussions.

Between weeks six and seven, I rode with Officer David Wohlgemuth, who was fascinating to talk to because he had previously served as a lieutenant in Racine, Wisconsin before retiring and later working with Livonia PD.

And honestly, riding with someone who had decades of experience immediately changed the atmosphere. Nothing felt performative. It just felt like stepping into the rhythm of a normal patrol shift.

But what made the night especially surreal was something that had happened earlier that same morning.

Before I ever arrived for the ride-along, a troubled man had entered the lobby of the Livonia Police Department and stabbed an officer inside the station. The suspect was later taken into custody and referred for a competency evaluation. And the strangest part was that twelve hours later, when I walked into that same lobby to begin the ride-along, everything felt almost completely normal again.

Business as usual.

That honestly stuck with me.

Because from the outside, people tend to imagine these incidents shutting everything down or throwing departments into chaos. But inside the station, officers were still handling calls, writing reports, answering phones, conducting investigations, and moving through the shift like they always do.

Even more surprising was learning the injured officer had already recovered enough to return to work the very next day.

And I think that moment quietly revealed something important about police culture:

there’s an expectation to absorb chaos quickly and keep moving.

The shift started with roll call around 6:50 p.m., where officers reviewed zones, areas of interest, BOLOs — “be on the lookout” alerts — and ongoing issues happening throughout the city.

And almost immediately, the calls started coming in.

Around 8:00 p.m., we responded to a situation involving a man reportedly under the influence, possibly armed, and threatening family members.

That was one of the first moments where I realized how little information officers often have while driving toward potentially dangerous situations. Dispatch relays what they know, but officers are constantly arriving at scenes with uncertainty about what’s actually waiting for them.

Later in the evening, there was an OWI investigation involving someone found in a driveway. Then an argument at a gas station near Schoolcraft and Farmington.

And one thing that really stood out during the ride-along was how rapidly officers shift emotional gears.

One minute you’re dealing with a potentially violent domestic situation.

The next minute it’s a verbal dispute.

Then a medical transport.

Then paperwork.

Then another call immediately after that.

There’s almost no emotional reset between incidents.

At one point during the night, we assisted at St. Mary’s Hospital involving the transport of the suspect from the earlier police station stabbing incident.

And again, what struck me was how calmly everyone handled it.

No dramatics.

No movie-style tension.

Just professionalism and procedure.

Another call involved a suicidal female reportedly driving erratically before eventually returning home safely.

And honestly, that call probably represented something the academy had been emphasizing repeatedly up to this point:

many police calls are really mental health crises, family crises, or emotional crises more than traditional “crime” situations.

Near the end of the shift, I finally got the drone demonstration I had missed during week five.

And seeing it deployed in the field instead of a classroom actually made it more impressive. The drone wasn’t being treated like some futuristic gadget. It was simply another tool — another piece of technology officers can use to safely gather information, search areas, document scenes, or reduce unnecessary risk before walking blindly into unknown situations.

But overall, the biggest takeaway from the ride-along was how unpredictable patrol work really is.

There’s no script.

No pacing.

No guaranteed “quiet night.”

Every call could become routine…

or suddenly dangerous.

And most of the public only sees the final result of these incidents afterward — usually through headlines or short video clips online.

What you don’t see is the constant stream of decision-making, communication, uncertainty, and emotional compartmentalization happening hour after hour inside a patrol car.

PLAY 1:55 CPA Ridealong Movie

PLAY 0:59 Intro CPA Week 7 Movie

Week seven tackled one of the most publicly debated aspects of modern policing: use of force, de-escalation, crowd control, and the Mobile Field Force.

And honestly, I think this was probably the week where the academy became the most nuanced.

Because before this class, most people — myself included — probably think about “use of force” in very simplified terms. But what the instructors emphasized repeatedly was that force exists on a constantly evolving scale, and officers are trained to adjust based on behavior, threat level, environment, and available options in real time.

The class was led by instructors covering defensive tactics and subject control, and one thing they stressed immediately was that the primary goal is de-escalation.

Not winning.

Not punishment.

Not dominance.

De-escalation.

And hearing that framed as the starting point for force decisions was interesting because it’s not always the perception people have from watching viral videos online where you’re often seeing only the final seconds of an encounter without the context leading up to it.

The instructors broke resistance into several categories:

passive resistance,

active resistance,

active aggression,

and deadly force situations.

And what became clear was that officer responses are supposed to escalate or de-escalate proportionally depending on what the subject is doing.

For example:

someone refusing to stand up is treated differently than someone actively punching an officer.

And someone armed with a weapon creates an entirely different level of threat.

The discussion covered everything from verbal commands and “soft empty hand techniques” all the way up to Tasers, pepper spray, batons, less-lethal impact rounds, and deadly force.

One thing I found especially interesting was how much emphasis they placed on communication before physical force ever becomes necessary.

Officer presence.

Tone of voice.

Verbal commands.

Creating distance.

Waiting for backup.

Slowing situations down when possible.

Those are all considered force-management tools too.

The instructors also discussed positional asphyxia and how police training has evolved significantly over the years regarding restraint techniques. They specifically talked about avoiding dangerous body positioning after handcuffing and the importance of monitoring medical distress once someone is restrained.

Another major topic was legal accountability.

The class referenced Graham v. Connor, the 1989 Supreme Court case that established the legal “objective reasonableness” standard for police use of force. And whether people agree with policing practices or not, it was interesting hearing how heavily officers are trained around legal standards, documentation requirements, and reporting procedures after any significant use-of-force incident.

One thing the instructors kept repeating was:

everything gets documented.

Every decision.

Every escalation.

Every report.

And honestly, that level of scrutiny surprised me.

The class also discussed survival mindset and situational awareness — recognizing behavioral cues, body language, environmental dangers, hand movements, and indicators that a situation might suddenly turn violent.

One detail that stuck with me was the emphasis on watching a person’s hands constantly. Officers repeatedly stressed that hands are what produce weapons, assaults, or sudden movements, which is why officers focus on them so intensely during encounters.

Then the second half of the night shifted toward Mobile Field Force operations — essentially large-scale crowd management and protest response.

And this was another area where the reality was much more organized and procedural than I expected.

The Western Wayne County Mobile Field Force is made up of officers from multiple agencies who train together several times each year for crowd control situations, protests, civil unrest, and large public events.

They demonstrated formations including:

line formations,

wedges,

columns,

rescue circles,

and extraction teams.

And honestly, watching how coordinated these movements are gave me a much greater appreciation for how much preparation goes into handling protests or riot situations before officers ever deploy into the field.

The instructors discussed dispersal commands — the formal warnings officers give before declaring an unlawful assembly — and how crowd management often revolves around communication, separation, visibility, and controlled movement rather than immediate confrontation.

One particularly interesting discussion involved the different types of protesters officers may encounter:

ordinary citizens,

organized activists,

and more extreme agitators intentionally looking to provoke conflict or damage property.

They also showed examples of protest tools and improvised devices officers have encountered over the years, including “sleeping dragons” — devices designed to physically lock protesters together or anchor them into structures to make removal extremely difficult.

And honestly, that was one of the themes of the night overall:

modern policing often involves preparing for situations the average person never even realizes exist until they suddenly appear on the news.

By the end of week seven, what stood out most to me was how much of police training revolves around trying to create control in situations that are inherently chaotic.

Sometimes that means communication.

Sometimes it means restraint.

Sometimes it means tactical formations.

And sometimes it means force.

But the academy consistently emphasized that ideally, the goal is always to resolve situations with the least amount of harm possible for everyone involved.

PLAY 2:00 Intro CPA Week 8 Movie

Week eight was interesting because it focused less on tactical operations and more on the people behind the department itself — recruiting, retention, training, and the Honor Guard.

And honestly, this was one of the more revealing weeks because it showed how difficult modern staffing and retention have become for police departments everywhere.

The instructors spoke very openly about manpower shortages and retention challenges. Livonia currently budgets for around one hundred forty-five sworn officers, but like many departments across the country, maintaining staffing levels has become increasingly difficult.

And hearing the operational breakdown made that reality feel very concrete.

At minimum staffing levels, they still need patrol officers on the road, supervisors overseeing shifts, dispatchers coordinating calls, detectives handling investigations, jail staff, desk operations — all functioning simultaneously, twenty-four hours a day.

One phrase they repeated several times was:

“Backup is key.”

Because policing fundamentally depends on teamwork. Officers are constantly relying on each other for support, especially during dangerous or unpredictable calls.

The class also covered hiring standards and field training.

New recruits rotate through multiple training phases, working different shifts and assignments while learning patrol operations, jail procedures, report writing, investigations, and departmental policies. They discussed physical fitness standards, educational requirements, and tuition assistance programs offered by the city.

And honestly, hearing the amount of training involved before an officer is fully cut loose on their own was more extensive than I expected.

Another interesting topic was how specialized modern departments have become.

The academy reviewed the different bureaus and task force assignments within Livonia PD:

drug trafficking investigations,

FBI task force assignments,

fugitive apprehension,

hotel interdiction teams,

school resource officers,

auto theft investigations,

special victims investigations,

community service units,

and mental health response partnerships.

It reinforced something the academy had been building toward all along:

modern policing isn’t one job.

It’s dozens of different jobs operating under the same department structure.

But emotionally, the most powerful part of week eight was the Honor Guard presentation.

And honestly, this part of the night hit differently than I expected.

The Livonia Police Honor Guard handles ceremonial duties for fallen officers, memorial services, funerals, casket watch, rifle volleys, flag folding ceremonies, and department memorial events. The team trains extensively for these ceremonies because every movement is meant to reflect professionalism, discipline, and respect.

And during the presentation, they discussed officers from the department who had died in the line of duty or passed away unexpectedly over the years.

Names became stories.

Stories became people.

One officer killed by a vehicle near Haggerty and Seven Mile.

Another who suffered a fatal heart attack after SWAT training.

Larry Nehasil, who was shot and killed while conducting surveillance in Walled Lake.

And hearing those names in that setting changed the tone of the room completely.

Because throughout most of the academy, we’d been learning about tactics, technology, procedures, investigations, and emergency response. But the Honor Guard presentation quietly reminded everybody that policing also carries personal cost.

Not theoretical risk.

Real risk.

The department also demonstrated ceremonial traditions like flag folding and rifle volleys, and I actually have audio from that evening — taps being played along with the shotgun volley ceremony.

PLAY 2:00 New Recording 56 on phone Funeral Shotgun Fire and Taps

One thing that stood out to me during week eight was how much police culture revolves around memory and continuity. Departments remember their own. They memorialize them. They train new officers in the shadow of previous generations who served before them.

And whether people fully support law enforcement, criticize aspects of policing, or sit somewhere in the middle, it’s difficult not to recognize the humanity in those moments.

By the end of week eight, the academy had shifted far beyond simply explaining how a police department operates.

It had started showing the emotional identity of the department itself.

Week nine focused on court procedures, emergency preparedness, range training, and emergency vehicle operations — although unfortunately this ended up being another week I had to miss personally.

And honestly, that was disappointing because based on everything I heard afterward, this was one of the most hands-on and entertaining weeks of the entire academy.

The classroom portion covered court procedures and emergency preparedness, which are two areas most civilians rarely get to see firsthand unless they become directly involved in the legal system or a major emergency event.

The court procedures section focused on what happens after arrests and investigations are completed — testimony, evidence presentation, warrants, courtroom process, and the amount of preparation officers have to do before cases ever make it in front of a judge or jury.

And one thing the academy consistently emphasized throughout all ten weeks was that police work doesn’t end with an arrest.

In many ways, that’s only the beginning.

Everything still has to survive documentation,

legal review,

prosecutor scrutiny,

court testimony,

and defense challenges.

A bad report, sloppy evidence handling, or procedural mistake can completely impact a case later on.

The emergency preparedness portion focused on large-scale incidents — severe weather, disasters, mass casualty events, infrastructure failures, and coordinated emergency response between agencies.

And after everything we’d already learned throughout the academy, it became obvious how much planning happens behind the scenes for situations most people hope never occur.

But from everything I heard afterward, the real highlights of week nine were the range day and emergency vehicle operations.

This was the week where participants actually got to experience portions of police firearms training and precision driving exercises firsthand.

Everybody I talked to afterward said it was an absolute blast.

The emergency vehicle operations training gave participants a much better appreciation for how difficult high-speed driving actually is, especially while processing radio traffic, traffic conditions, intersections, pedestrians, and split-second decisions simultaneously.

And the firearms portion apparently gave people a completely different perspective on accuracy, stress, reaction time, and how difficult shooting can actually be under pressure.

I think that’s one thing the academy did very well overall:

it constantly challenged simplistic assumptions.

Things that look easy from the outside usually aren’t.

Driving fast safely isn’t easy.

Making split-second decisions isn’t easy.

Shooting accurately under stress isn’t easy.

Managing chaotic scenes isn’t easy.

Even though I missed week nine personally, I still think it’s important to mention because it highlights how immersive the Citizen’s Police Academy really is.

This wasn’t just lectures in a classroom.

The program actively tries to put citizens into situations that help them better understand what officers experience, how they train, and why certain procedures exist in the first place.

And from everything I heard afterward, week nine may have been the most fun people had during the entire academy.

PLAY 3:00 Intro CPA Week 10 Movie

Week ten focused on two very different — but equally fascinating — aspects of modern policing: the VirTra virtual reality training system and the Livonia Police Department’s K9 program featuring Kasimir, the department’s German Shepherd police dog.

And honestly, it was a perfect way to close out the academy because both topics pulled together many of the themes we had been hearing about throughout the previous nine weeks:

decision making,

de-escalation,

judgment under pressure,

communication,

officer safety,

and public safety.

The VirTra V-100 simulator was especially impressive.

The system uses a large interactive projection screen with realistic scenarios designed to place officers into stressful and rapidly evolving situations. The training isn’t simply about shooting — in fact, much of it is specifically designed around not shooting.

The scenarios included shoot/don’t shoot decision making, de-escalation encounters, and high-risk vehicle stops. Participants quickly learned how difficult split-second decisions become when information is incomplete, emotions are high, and situations are constantly changing.

One wrong assumption can escalate an encounter instantly.

The simulator forces officers to think critically while simultaneously communicating, observing body language, watching hands, processing movement, and deciding whether force is justified at all.

And after everything we had learned during the academy about use of force, de-escalation, and legal standards, seeing those concepts applied in realistic virtual scenarios tied everything together in a very effective way.

The second half of week ten focused on the department’s K9 program — and for me personally, this was especially interesting because I had already met Kasimir earlier during my ride-along experience.

Before my ride-along even began, I spent time around Kasimir, and despite his intimidating appearance, he was incredibly friendly and well-controlled. Seeing him up close gave me a completely different perspective on police dogs. They’re not aggressive attack machines like movies often portray — they are highly trained working animals with an extraordinary level of discipline and focus.

Kasimir is a German Shepherd from Friedewald, Germany, who began service with the Livonia Police Department in May of 2024. His responsibilities include narcotics detection, patrol assistance, tracking suspects or missing persons, search operations, and officer safety.

One thing that stood out immediately during the presentation was just how extraordinary a dog’s sense of smell really is.

According to the presentation, dogs possess roughly 250 to 300 million scent receptors compared to only around 3.5 to 5 million in humans. The instructors used a simple but memorable comparison:

humans might smell a hamburger as one combined scent,

while dogs can separately identify the bun, lettuce, tomato, meat, and condiments individually.

That ability makes K9s incredibly effective for narcotics detection and tracking work.

The academy also explained the two primary styles of narcotics indication:

aggressive alerts — barking, scratching, or biting near a source,

and passive alerts — quietly sitting and staring at the location.

Tracking training was equally fascinating.

K9s track using both ground disturbance and human odor, and their success can be influenced by time, terrain, and temperature. Surprisingly, the dog often doesn’t even require an article of clothing to begin tracking a subject.

The instructors also discussed how much of police K9 work is actually non-violent. One phrase that stood out in my notes described the dog as a “Proclaimer of Peace,” emphasizing that 99% of the job is the dog’s nose and only 1% involves teeth or physical apprehension.

That perspective completely changed how many people in the room viewed police dogs.

The training process itself was extensive:

Phase One consisted of four weeks of foundational obedience work six days a week.

Phase Two lasted eight additional weeks focused on certification and operational ride-along work.

And Phase Three continues throughout the dog’s entire career with ongoing weekly maintenance training.

One thing the academy repeatedly reinforced was that obedience is the foundation of the entire K9 program. Kasimir responds to both verbal and non-verbal commands, and the amount of communication between handler and dog was honestly remarkable to watch.

And having already interacted with Kasimir personally earlier in the academy, week ten made that experience even more meaningful.

It was easy to see why these dogs become such valuable partners to officers — not only as tools for searches and investigations, but also as deterrents, protectors, and trusted companions in unpredictable situations.

Looking back, week ten felt like a fitting conclusion to the entire Citizen’s Police Academy experience.

From virtual reality simulations teaching judgment and restraint…

to highly trained K9 units demonstrating discipline, intelligence, and teamwork…

the final week reinforced something that had become increasingly clear throughout the academy:

Modern policing involves far more training, specialization, preparation, and decision-making than most people ever realize from the outside looking in.

Play New Recording 60 and 61 Dog Audio

Week eleven brought the Livonia Citizen Police Academy to a close with the graduation ceremony held on May 5th, 2026 at St. Aidan Catholic Church in Livonia. After ten weeks of classes, demonstrations, ride-alongs, scenarios, and conversations with officers from nearly every division of the department, the evening felt less like the end of a class and more like the conclusion of a shared experience.

The ceremony itself was simple, professional, and genuinely heartfelt.

The evening began with opening remarks from Chief Thomas Goralski, followed by an address from Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan. Dinner and acknowledgements followed, giving everyone one last opportunity to sit together, talk, laugh, and reflect on everything we had experienced over the previous weeks.

One thing that stood out throughout the night was how approachable everyone remained — from command staff to instructors to city leadership. After spending weeks hearing directly from officers, detectives, SWAT operators, negotiators, crime scene investigators, dispatchers, K9 handlers, and crisis clinicians, there was a strong sense that the academy was designed not simply as a public relations event, but as a genuine effort to connect the community with the realities of modern policing.

For me personally, the graduation carried an added level of appreciation because of everything the academy exposed us to:

traffic enforcement,

accident reconstruction,

active shooter response,

crisis negotiations,

crime scene investigations,

mental health response,

SWAT operations,

K9 training,

use of force policy,

and officer wellness.

Some weeks were intense.

Some were emotional.

Some were surprisingly fun.

But every week provided insight into work most people never get to see firsthand.

One of the highlights of the evening was taking a graduation photo with Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan and Chief Thomas Goralski. It was a nice way to close out the program and capture the experience in a single moment.

The entire night had a bittersweet feeling to it.

Over eleven weeks, complete strangers had gradually become familiar faces. Conversations before class, shared reactions during demonstrations, and the unique experiences of ride-alongs and hands-on training created friendships and connections that simply didn’t exist at the beginning of the academy.

So much of the evening became about saying goodbye, thanking instructors, exchanging contact information, and promising to stay in touch.

And before the night ended, I made one final promise directly to Chief Goralski:

that I would create a full episode documenting the entire experience.

That promise mattered to me because the academy genuinely changed my perspective in ways I did not expect when it first began.

No, it didn’t magically answer every debate surrounding policing.

But it absolutely provided context, nuance, and understanding that simply cannot be gained from headlines, viral clips, or social media arguments alone.

It showed the human side of the profession.

The stress.

The preparation.

The constant training.

The scrutiny.

The difficult decisions.

And the emotional toll that often follows officers home long after a shift ends.

Most importantly, it reminded me that behind every uniform is still a person trying to navigate situations most people hope they never encounter themselves.

Walking out of the graduation ceremony that night, there was an overwhelming feeling of gratitude.

Gratitude for the opportunity.

Gratitude for the honesty of the instructors.

Gratitude for the officers who allowed civilians into their world for a few short months.

And gratitude for the friendships and experiences that came from it.

The Livonia Citizen Police Academy ended as an educational program —

but for many of us, it became something much more memorable than that.

Play New Recording 62 on Phone

If you live in the Livonia area, I absolutely recommend applying for the Citizen Police Academy when it becomes available again next year. Whether you’re simply curious about how your local police department operates, interested in public safety, or just want a better understanding of what officers deal with on a daily basis, the program offers a rare behind-the-scenes look that most people never experience.

And even if you’re not local to Livonia, it’s worth checking to see whether your own police department offers something similar. Many departments around the country host citizen academies, ride-alongs, community engagement programs, or public safety training events that can help bridge the gap between communities and law enforcement in a meaningful way.

For me, the experience was educational, eye-opening, occasionally intense, and genuinely memorable from beginning to end. I’m incredibly thankful to everyone at the Livonia Police Department for the opportunity, the honesty, and the professionalism they showed throughout the academy.

I’ll also be posting additional photos, videos, audio clips, and behind-the-scenes material from the experience soon at:

Curator135.com

Including:

Ride-along content

K9 Kasimir photos and video

Honor Guard audio

SWAT and training demonstrations

Graduation photos

And much more from all eleven weeks of the academy.

It was an experience I won’t forget anytime soon.

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