The Loveland Citizen Police Academy Class of 2023
by Mahi Sheth
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland, Miami Township, and Milford Police Departments held a ten-week Citizens Police Academy Class that started on September 6, and ended on November 15 with a dinner and diploma presentation. There were multiple instructors each week of the ten-week unique experience, including Det. Jesse Moore and Lt. Amy Campbell who led the Loveland participants.
The academy was a joint effort of the Loveland, Miami Township, and Milford departments and citizens from all three communities participated and graduated. Each department provided custom shirts to their community members along with “swag” gifts.
A variety of subjects were covered during the course, including a preview of what an officer’s day looked like as well as some education about jails and the judicial system. The citizens were given a tour of the Loveland Police Department to kick off the classes. U.C. Air Care came to tell about their services. There was also a “mock crash” course, which was taught by both Miami Township and Milford fire departments.
Throughout the weeks, the Loveland Police Department offered their expertise and provided many experiences, including Taser use and handcuffing, and a K9 demonstration at the Loveland canine training course next to Bodley Park. There was a field trip to the Scarlet Oaks campus for gun safety at the live range facility where students could shoot an officer’s service weapon. The classes took place throughout Loveland, Miami Township, and Milford.
There was a session at Sora’s Towing to teach about the equipment used to extract vehicle crash victims. The Clermont County Sheriffs Office provided a tour of the county jail and taught about the jail’s background and history.
One class was led by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations.
Mock crime scenes were set up at the Loveland Safety Center and there were sessions on narcotics crisis intervention, use of force, and media portrayal. There was an active shooter course at the First Baptist Church in Miami Township where classmates got a chance to role-play saving the lives of hostages and innocent bystanders.
A graduation ceremony with a formal dinner to conclude the academy classes was hosted by Miami Township at their Civic Center. Each class member was allowed to invite one guest to join them in celebrating their achievement.
“Best Short Story” award winner Mahi Sheth knows a thing or two about writing! Mahi is a creative writer whose favorite part about writing is the way words come together to form a story. In Mahi’s downtime, she loves to read and dance. Mahi is a Junior at William Mason High School.
