Citizens academy 'an eye opener,' participants say

When Raul Villegas heard about Elgin's police citizens academy, he figured it would be an opportunity to get an inside look at the department's downtown headquarters.

What the Elgin resident got was a lot more - primarily a much better understanding of what police officers do, and why they do it, he said.

"It was a really awesome experience," he said. "It changed my perspective about how to see police."

Villegas was among about 20 residents who took Elgin's first Spanish-language academy held on three consecutive Saturdays earlier this month.

Officer Eric Echevarria said it was important to hold a Spanish version of the long-standing academy because of Elgin's large Latino population, which numbers about 44 percent.

"Over the years it's been very difficult to get the Latino community really involved with us," he said.

"There's a lack of understanding of how we do things, why we do things. This was an opportunity to be able to educate the Latinos. We wanted to be able to open up that line of communication."

The academy included various presenters on topics such as investigations, the gang unit, evidence handling, the K-9 unit, school liaison officers, and more, Echevarria said.

Participant Edilberto Rivera said he especially liked meeting a police chaplain and getting to use the department's shooting simulator.

"It's a tremendous tool for them," he said. "It feels real. Your heart is pumping, you're sweating, your hands are shaking."

Detective Heather Robinson gave a presentation about the major investigations division, including how cases are assigned and how police talk to victims.

"It was really nice to see so many people from the Spanish community, the Latino community, come out and actually want to learn about the police," she said. "They also get to see there's a white officer who speaks Spanish, too."

Villegas said he now understands how stressful police work can be, including simple things like not knowing if a seemingly innocuous driver could be a criminal, he said.

"They cannot afford to take any chances," he said. "That doesn't mean they can abuse their power, but they've got to be cautious."

Both Villegas and Rivera said holding the academy in Spanish in an example of Elgin police's willingness to work with the Latino community.

Both also said they plan to join Elgin's Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, a nonprofit organization that does volunteerism and fundraising for the department.

Echevarria said the plan is to offer more Spanish academies in the future. The department is currently recruiting officer candidates in Puerto Rico in an effort to hire more Spanish speakers.

Rivera said he will encourage others to go through the academy, which is open to individuals 18 and older with no felony convictions.

"I think it was a great success," he said. "The feedback that I got from the class, everybody got an eye opener about what the police is about," Rivera said.