Livonia Police Department Citizen Police Academy

A New Citizen on Patrol

Over the past eleven weeks, I had the opportunity to participate in the 2026 Livonia Citizen Police Academy — a behind-the-scenes program designed to give community members a firsthand look at modern policing, public safety operations, and the people who serve within the Livonia Police Department.

This companion post goes week-by-week through the academy experience using my personal notes, photos, sketches, ride-along observations, and media collected throughout the program. Topics ranged from traffic enforcement, SWAT operations, K9 training, and crime scene investigations to crisis negotiations, de-escalation, officer wellness, and emergency response training.

Some weeks were intense.
Some were surprisingly fun.
And many completely changed how I viewed aspects of law enforcement I had never seen up close before.

Included throughout this post are handwritten notes taken during classes, behind-the-scenes photos, graduation images, and additional commentary that expands on stories discussed in the full podcast episode.

This wasn’t about politics or headlines.
It was about learning, listening, asking questions, and gaining perspective directly from the officers, investigators, dispatchers, clinicians, and instructors who shared their experiences with us over the course of the academy.

I’m incredibly grateful to the Livonia Police Department and everyone involved for allowing civilians like myself to step inside that world for a few months.

You can listen to the full companion podcast episode and explore additional content throughout this post.