PHOTO COURTESY LINDSAY RICHARD
Sgt. Rick Wawrzeniak offers a briefing on the Ocean City Bike Patrol during a Citizen Police Academy meeting on Tuesday.

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Oct. 4, 2018) The Citizen Police Academy in Ocean City is going strong after more than two decades, with signup generally doubling the amount of available space.

The annual 10-week course, which this year started Sept. 11, is held in partnership with the Ocean Pines Police department, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and Maryland State Police at the Ocean City Public Safety Building on 6501 Coastal Highway.

Ocean Pines Police Chief David Massey returned to the program this year after an absence of several years.

“We [as Ocean Pines Police] have just joined. I was the one that instituted it when I was the Ocean City police chief, back in the 1990s,” Massey said.

“In the Citizen’s Police Academy, you bring citizens in, you explain the department, [and] you bring different people in from the department,” he continued. “One week we’re talking with detectives, next week with the K-9 unit, and it basically educates the public on what the police department does and introduces them to people in the department.”

A recent class also sent students to a firing range with a range instructor, he said.

“They got to fire a weapon and to observe K-9s, so it’s a hands-on kind of thing,” Massey said. “It just builds a lot more trust for the public when they know the job a police officer does. And, they get a personal touch, because they get to know the police officers personally.”

Classes are limited to 30 people and Massey said about 75 signed up this year, proving it continues to be popular.

Ocean Pines resident Brenda Wascak, a former Department of Defense worker, signed up for the course this year. A member of the Ocean Pines Election Committee and a former candidate for the association’s board of directors, Wascak said she enrolled because she retired, but wanted to continue learning.

“I moved here because of Ocean City,” she said. “I love Ocean Pines, but I moved here to be near to the beach, so I definitely am involved in any issues that go on in Ocean City and I want to be aware of them.

“I also like to advocate for the folks in the neighborhood, as well as myself, when situations arise,” she continued. “How do we, as citizens, address certain situations? Do you get involved, or do you call the police?”

Last Tuesday, she said, the course focused on how citizens can be more aware and “be a good witness.”

“When you see something and you can’t get involved, but you can take a picture, learn to be a good witness. And it’s the hardest thing,” Wascak said.

To prove that point, she said a patrol officer showed the class a video of a fight occurring at a local nightclub and then asked questions about what they saw.

“We all had a different answer,” she said. “We didn’t know what color the guy’s hair was. We had the swim trunks all wrong. It was just amazing.”

The class watched the video a second time and took notes, “and we still had it wrong,” Wascak said.

“We were so off base it wasn’t funny,” she said. “So, I’ve been practicing all week when I’ve been riding my bike – what color was that car? What was the license plate? Be vigilant and be aware of what’s going on, because you never know … it’s amazing what you don’t pick up in an emergency situation.”

Citizens also got a glimpse into the legal system, with States Attorney-elect Kris Heiser providing an overview.

“She was very thorough and very good,” Wascak said. “She walked us through these scenarios for an hour and a half and it was amazing.”

Additional information during the course included an overview of the Ocean City Police Department structure, including how many officers work during the summer and the offseason, and how the volunteer auxiliary officer program works.

“My main thing is to keep learning about my new neighborhood – and my new neighborhood involves Ocean City,” Wascak said.

For more information about Citizens Police Academy or to receive an application, visit www.oceancitymd.gov/oc/departments/police/programs or contact the OCPD Public Affairs Office at 410-520-5395.