Upon graduating from Charleston’s first Citizen Police Academy, 15 Charleston residents have a better understanding of what police officers really do.

Charleston City Council member Larry Rennels, who participated in the program, said that the experience was remarkable and it provided a bridge between the community and the police department.

“I’ve come away with a respect for the police officers, the job they do and the challenges they face,” he said.

Mayor John Inyart also believed the program provided a valuable link between the community and the department.

“It was interaction with the community for the officers and a chance to work with the officers for the community,” Inyart said. “It gave the residents a really good understanding of the department.”

The 11-week program was a pilot program for Charleston. Based on a volunteer application process and a brief screening process, 15 participants were chosen for the program. Once chosen, the participants met one night a week for three hours.

Rennels decided to participate in the program for multiple reasons. First, he had been interested in the workings of law enforcement for a long time. Rennels also thought that he should carry his business philosophy into his city council position.

“In my own business I never ask an employee to do something I can’t do myself,” Rennels said.

The program allowed Rennels and the other participants to experience much of the work that officers do. The Academy offered the experience in both a classroom setting and hands-on experience.

An officer from the Charleston Police Department was in charge of each of the different sessions. Officers were recruited for the Academy based on their training and specialization.

“It is really dependent upon the officers putting the curriculum together,” said Chief of Police Paul Welch.

The hands-on experiences included learning handcuffing techniques;0. crime scene processing, where participants lifted their own fingerprints off a soft drink can; and traffic stops.

During the traffic stop exercise, the participants of the program took the role of the police officer, and the officers took the roles of the people being pulled over. The officers simulated the many response types officers face, ranging from harmless to violent activity.

Rennels said he knew it would be an experience when the officer announced it was Rennels’ turn.

“He turned and looked at me with a smile on his face and said, ‘You’re next,’ ” he said.

When Rennels turned on the overhead lights to pull his “suspect” over, the “suspect” stepped out of his vehicle and shot six paintball bullets at the windshield of Rennels’ squad car.

The participants in the program also received hands-on experience with all of the firearms that police officers use. Participants had the opportunity to fire service revolvers, shotguns and an AR-15 assault rifle.

The participants additionally used a fully automatic rifle with a four-position switch, Rennels said. The four positions included safety, a one-shot per trigger pull setting, a three-shot per trigger pull setting and a rapid succession setting that allowed for the weapon to continue firing as long as the trigger was held.

Rennels said that using this four-position switch was one of the most interesting parts of the experience because citizens are typically not allowed to use or own such weapons.

In addition to the hands-on experiences, the participants also learned in a classroom setting. Topics for these discussions included drug education, domestic violence and child abuse, terrorism, hazardous material technology and demonstrations by the K9 unit and the Critical Response Team.

Participants also visited off-site facilities to gain a better understanding of the complete system. Off-site visits included the 911-call center, the jail, a child advocacy center and the HOPE center.

The Citizen Police Academy received high levels of feedback from the participants, and a second Academy is being planned to start in September or October, Welch said.

Rennels said he would recommend the program to anyone, especially fellow city council members, students and anyone interested in law enforcement.

There has also been discussion among city officials of trying to implement a similar program with the Charleston Fire Department.