Police Cadets: Active Participants in their Community

a lot of cadets that's in our recruit class right now they understand, everything that been going on and what on the news. with what's happening with different police departments and agencies, and the general consensus in the class is that majority of people. they want to be that change. They want to change the culture of policing and we want to get rid of that stigma of police doing the wrong things, or get rid of that stigma of the police isn't there to help people and we're just there to arrest people. Hello, and welcome to A Prisoner's Pardon with

Me, your host, Michi J.

Today we have as a guest, Jeremiah Lewis, and he is a police cadet. Yes, we even have police cadets on the show. You know why? Because we need to hear from everybody. And I've met Jeremiah Lewis at Partners in Hope, and he is very involved with that program. And he's actually been in dunk tanks and a lot of community projects and work with a lot of ex prisoners. So today we're going to be hearing from Jeremiah Lewis. Hey, Jeremiah, how you doing? I'm Good. How you doing, Michi? I am doing well. tell us a little bit about Jeremiah. And why... a police officer. Why did you pick that career? It's always something I wanted to do since I was younger. I always wanted to be, I don't want to sound kind of cliche, but I always wanted to be that, that change in the community. Like a lot of people, and nowadays news, they look at police officers. In a bad light, but I want to try to be that change, for the people. and also I'm like, I wanted to be a great role model for my, my three year old son, growing up too. Wow. Those are great. Aspirations it looks like police officers are in demand because it's not a lot of people trying to be a police officer because of the culture. Now, you're actually saying the opposite. you're in class with a lot of other cadets. Do they feel the same way as you do? Yeah. a lot of our, a lot of our, cadets that's in our recruit class right now they do, they, they feel, they understand, everything that been going on and what on the news. with what's happening with different police departments and agencies, and the general consensus in the class is that majority of people. they want to be that change. They want to change the culture of policing and we want to get rid of that stigma of police doing the wrong things, or get rid of that stigma of the police isn't there to help people and we're just there to arrest people. Do unconstitutional things, but we're not where we actually want to be out there in the community. We want to understand some of the problems that they're going through and try to help better solve them and be there for the people. That's good to hear what cadets are thinking and why they want to be police officers, because I thought the numbers would be going down. Are you saying that it possibly will at least your classes? Is it a full class or. When we first started off, we did, we did lose quite a few people, but that's mainly just because they didn't pass some of the training or qualifications and passing certain tests that we have because I'm like our academy class. We have a, we go through a very extensive seven, almost seven months of training plus on the field training once we graduate. So it was very in depth and we do lose people on the way, but we also have another recruit class in house right now and they're pretty much full. And they haven't lost anybody, but we're probably gonna graduate close to around like 50, 60 people already. Wow. That's good. I'm happy to hear that because. Honestly, I was concerned about the number of officers that we will have. So hearing that we got some full classes and possibly don't have any problem recruiting is just maybe people being able to, make the cut, so to speak. Correct. Yes. Okay. What is some of the community training that you do? Is there a particular category of training for that with the police academy? And we go through a lot of like ethical training community orient orientated policing training go through a lot of constitutional law. And I'm like, also, I'm like, even during the academy to have us. Go out and help out with different events like we're, we were there for Juneteenth event was there for fireworks. So we actually, they actually have us out in a community a lot engaging with the people that we're eventually going to be serving and helping. That's that's awesome and that's, where I've been seeing you at and just being involved in so much. I didn't realize that, that's part of the training to be, active in the community. Is that something expected ongoing or is that just, for the training? Oh, no, that's definitely something expected on going like they instill it in us before we even graduate that once we get out to field training, which is with, we will be with a. More senior officer and there will be showing us how to actually police, but when we're out there, we still will be engaging with the community. We won't be just constantly in our patrol car just. Looking at people through a window, we will actually be walking by foot, engaging, talking with people in the community, listening to if anyone has any concerns or problems and a deal and dealing with them accordingly. I didn't know that. That's interesting. I wonder if anybody knew in my audience is something to think about. That's a good. Positive thing to include with the training is this, did it just start or has it always been part of training from what I know and from what the instructors and other police officers and detectives that I have talked to in the past. And currently they told me that it has always been like this for the training. I'm like, they always have during the academy, we have our they teach the con law and ethical policing and how to police community orientated policing. And even when we go out there for field training has always been the same with. They want us to actively engage and talk with people in the community. So it always has been like this within the past at most like eight, nine years. Okay. I just probably didn't know about it. I just don't remember seeing a lot of cadets working in a community. A lot, but I do now, I see a lot and it's good for you to mention this so people understand what type of training you have to go through especially, community work, ethical training and stuff like that. Yeah, even our this upcoming weekend too, we have like the academy, they host different open houses for people in the community to actually come. And get a and see what our instructors are actually teaching our newer recruit class. So this upcoming Saturday we actually do have a open house that's open to the public and they can actually see and hear what we actually been learning. Oh, where is that located? That would be at 66 80 North Titania Avenue. At the we, I call it the safety ca safety Academy. It's but also the Fire and Police Commission is housed in there too. Okay. I'll make sure I note that okay. You know what time it starts or that time? I believe it starts at 8 a. m. between 8 or 9. I'm not certain on that right now. Okay. So is that Academy over there? Is that the only Milwaukee Academy over there on correct? That's the only Milwaukee Police Academy that we have right now. Okay. I wasn't sure if it was another 1 and it's just supplies officers for all the districts here in Milwaukee. Correct police officers and fire fire cadets and whatnot. They all go through that same building. Oh, okay. Interesting. Okay. And is it still the same requirements that you got to live in the city of Milwaukee? Or has that changed? No, that, that has actually changed. I'm unsure on how long ago they lifted that. But I know now it's, you have to live within 15 miles of county line. So it's, yeah, so like for me I was born and raised, I lived in the city for almost 20 years. But then I recently moved out and I'm currently out in Waukesha right now, but at the county line for me, it starts out in Moreland on Moreland road. And that will be, or 124th street, my apologies, 124th street. And that would be where my 15 miles start from. So it's the furthest, it's the furthest point of wherever the county line, the Milwaukee county line goes to. Oh, okay. Okay. Does this academy, so it's only for Milwaukee police is it do Waukesha have their own and how does that work? Okay. Yeah. So Milwaukee, this is actually only for Milwaukee police. But and our current recruit and the other, the new recruit class that's in house right now, we call them, I call them the freshmen. They're, they actually have. for West Milwaukee. Cadets in there though, too. So sometimes Milwaukee Police Academy, they will take if they have enough openings, they will take three or four. Or up to five outside agencies referrals, but that outside agency is actually paying the academy to teach them the Milwaukee way. Oh, okay. The Milwaukee way. All right. All right. So tell us about your involvement with. Partners in Hope and partners in hope for everyone. They have a community warehouse. They help the previously incarcerated and they're located on, what is that, fourth in North Avenue, something like that. 3, 2, 4 east North Avenue. So that's like third of North Avenue. Okay. Yeah. So they have A meeting there every Wednesday evening, and I think they do have some on Friday mornings as well. Yeah, so this is where people that's been previously incarcerated, they come and mentors, people in the community, cadets police officers is it fire people there too? I'm not sure that I'm not that I'm unsure. I don't believe so, but it's mostly from the police side is it'll be other recruits, cadets sergeants, lieutenants. And sometimes even detectives, right? Okay. I've seen those. Yeah. So it's a big group and, people from all walks of life, family members of the incarcerated. We come together as a family and we do. Like round tables, and we, they have 2 boxes where they talk about certain things. They have speakers, but it's a really a great place for people to come and to get information and just join in and just working in the community. How did you get started there? Jeremiah. I got started there by actually Adam Purcell. Adam came to the police academy and told us his story. And from the beginning, like when he first started telling his story, I was just like, my eyes were like wide open. How did a person, how did a person like, like this actually get out? But then once he more or less got towards the end of the story, things started making a lot more sense to me. And from there, I wanted to know more about partners and hope and what he was teaching or the type of people that actually come there. So I'm like my first visit, it wasn't by choice. It was our sergeant at the academy, he made us, made everybody sign up for one day to go there and see how it is. And after that one day, I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed listening to other people's walks of life, pretty much like listening to people, like how their day is going mainly because. One person's story and that during that time can actually change another person's way of thinking. Like for me, I helped so many people out just by listening to their stories and things that they were going through and I never thought I would in a million years that I would be able to just do the littlest things that it would change somebody's life. Entire perspective and just me being there. I enjoyed it. And also I'm like, after hearing that these people are the same people that I will be eventually seeing out in the community, I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to show them that. I'm different than the police encounters that you may have had in the past. I want to be that police officer that you can count on that will treat you fairly, treat you respectfully. Show you, show that get, have, show you that you have dignity and let you be human. So yeah, I'm like I enjoy coming back every single Wednesday and I even brought my family there too. They enjoyed it. Yeah. I met your beautiful son and wife and yeah, That is good to, to hear what's the impact on cadets, I hate to say it partners and hold it. It may not be for everyone, but for a select few that were in the class it changed. It changed their entire perspective. They didn't think. They had a preconceived notion of the way that it would be, like, they didn't want to go there they thought it was not worth their time, but it really opened their eyes and they got a different perspective because a lot of these, a lot, majority of the people that's in our class isn't from the Milwaukee area. They're from more of the outskirts of Milwaukee or lived in suburban areas. So they didn't, they don't have firsthand experience of what some of the issues a lot of people are facing in Milwaukee. So I'm like, it really opened their eyes. And I'm like, that's why I was able to get a few. Other cadets or whatnot to actually come back with me almost every week or every other week or every couple of weeks or so, and I will be coming back again this Wednesday with another couple of recruits. I see you've been recruiting them, bringing them in and stuff. Yeah. You very active there. And that's a joy to see. And it's, I enjoy meeting. The different recruits and just seeing them and getting to know them, because it'll be awesome to see you out in the community. Hey, how are you doing? And I think. When the community see us interacting, they will see you as. A person as well, so I'm I believe that, the previously incarcerated there, they have a different impression to just you have they I'm hearing stories from them. It was like, I never. Cared about police before, and they, if there's something that's happening, their concern is that my friend is something going on with them. And that's a beautiful thing when people start caring about other people like that. Yeah. It's all about, I, it's about building a positive relationship with people that you would think is totally opposite than you, but at the end of the day, we're, All human. I'm like, we all go through things. We all have tough times. We all have good times, but with partners at home, I'm like, if we can all just sit down and where no one looks at each other oh, okay, that's a cop. Oh, that's a fella. And I don't want to sit by him. I don't want to talk to him. But in other words, we sitting down and we actually having meals with each other. We actually engaging and talking and. I'm like, it's just a, it's a great moment. I'm like every Wednesday is a great moment, a great time and getting to know another person and building another relationship. That's true. Cause you know, I've, accumulated some great relationships there. And I definitely encourage people to come I know they have A lot of resource people coming through and does that give you like resource information that if you happen to be talking to somebody in a community, you being there you become pretty informed. About resources. Yes, most definitely. Like I, I have a, they gave me a wealth of knowledge of like different resources and different advocacies that I can tap into if I ever run into certain situations. When I'm out there policing, instead of always going to the, what people would think like, all right that person is just going to get arrested or that person it's just going and badly. No, I'm like, we were trying to push. Helping that person more and giving them the resources that they're in need. And there is a lot of resources out there that I'm like, even I personally, I'm like, I may not know, but I will do my due diligence and trying to find. And try to help that person 110 percent every single time I have an encounter with anybody that I talk to or deal with in my police capacity. Yeah that's great because, I know I've added a lot of resources just by being near and hearing the information. I was like, oh, I didn't know about that, so now it's oh, I didn't really let me, let me write this down or you can, if we don't know, we can ask somebody there. So I really like that because we build relationships, we build up our toolbox of, I would say resources and cause we don't know who to talk to and to get them information. And that's I think that's awesome. What's going on there. So you talked about you being a police officer while you became one partners and hope how you came to be there and how you just invited everyone. I am too I'm always inviting somebody. Now This last event that they had was called leap of faith. Now you were one of the jumpers, like how did they get you to do this? Leave with faith. I'm like, honestly, I'm like, it's something that I always wanted to do. I always, for some reason, I always wanted to jump out of airplanes. I don't know. It was like, I wanted to conquer this fear of heights. And I was able to do that with an amazing group of people from half officers and half past cons or, And, but it's like, when we're up there or when we're going through this, I'm like, we're all the same. I'm like, everybody is, everybody, majority of other people, we're all scared. But we're, and then when we jump out of that plane, it's like all our worries just just went away. It was like, at that moment, it was like, it just feels you're just just gliding and just floating in the air, and it's it just feels so effortless. Nothing, you like, you have nothing, no care in the world at all at that moment. And it's just like looking out towards the horizon. I'm like, and then looking down towards the ground, it's just I can't believe I'm doing this and it just feels amazing. And I'm like everybody is the same. Everybody's doing this for their own reason. And also I'm like doing this together as a group. And we're all, we all feel as one when we up there. And so it was just such an amazing time. And even before we, we jumped out of that airplane, we all had great talks and great conversations, even down on the ground, everybody socializing, playing games, getting to know each other's families. And it was just, it was a really awesome and amazing event. That I wish a lot more people would have known about that. But I'm like, we had, we still had a amazing turnout and it turned out to be such a great time. Oh, yeah, it's I know they're doing a documentary so people can, actually look like they were there too. So to see what all went on it, I think yeah, I think it was an amazing event. I remember seeing you, you didn't look too good before. Oh, no, I was super nervous and super scared and going up here. You Like I said, I'm like, once we're outside of that plane, and once you, I'm like, once you just fall, you don't get that feeling of your stomach coming up, like from a rollercoaster or anything, it's just, it just feels... I don't like effortless. There's nothing, I'm like, you just gliding and floating in the air really fast. So when you jumped out, were you going down was it, were you floating already or was you going fast now? Dude, it like, you speeding? It was going, yeah, it was going fast down. Like I had my arms out like a, I wanna say like an airplane. I want to say it was probably going well over a hundred, probably close to a hundred miles an hour or so. And it was a lot of wind, but the thing is, it's like you, I didn't have no, no gut wrenching feeling or anything. It was like everything, it just felt so free. Like it felt really good. And just being up there. I'm like, I didn't worry, not one bit. Also, I had the main guy that jumped like 18, 000 times on my back too. So I'm like, I feel really confident with that, with him doing it. So I didn't get a chance to, how did you land though? How was, what was that about? Oh, the landing, we landed in our butts. Yeah, I didn't want to, I didn't, we didn't want to risk trying to do the walking or trying to stand up or anything. So we just slid in. So that was actually, we came in like relatively calm. Like it wasn't like anything I expected. I thought it was going to be a little bit more rougher landing or something like that, but it wasn't, it was like, you just. I don't know, like you sliding into home plate or home base or whatnot on a baseball field and that's about it. Okay, so do we describe you as pre jump? You're like, you are one person then once after you jump, you're a whole another different person. Oh, hands down a whole totally different person. Like I'm jumping again. Like I, after I got done doing that jump, I actually went. I actually went back into the office and I bought a second, I bought the second jump for half off. So I'm jumping again, September 30th because of me doing that, that first jump. I get changed. It totally changed everything. It changed everything. Yeah. Okay. So I know at least we're not going to name names, but I know at least one person. Didn't do it. They were scheduled and then they said no. Yeah, I think there was more of I think it was probably transportation or something. Oh, that was a that was an issue for that individual Okay, so I mean they end up finding they end up finding another person there to jump in his place though Okay I'm not throwing no salt now because I wouldn't do it. Oh, it's not that bad. I feel like everybody should jump out of airplane like at least one time. Like you could hear yourself. Could you it's the mental. It's the mental that gets a lot of people like the whole thought process before you go up. There is a lot worse than actually jumping out the airplane. Like hands down. Okay. So since you, Jeremiah, since you jumped out of playing, do you feel like you could do anything? Like you could just, okay, no problem. I want to say, I want to say anything. Like I'm not going to go like wrestle like a bear alligator or something, but it gives me a little bit more, a little bit more confidence. And I do feel like I'm a I can't do, I can't do anything but I don't know, it just changes me as a person. I have a different outlook on life and I want to try to take that and try to mold that some way into the way I go about doing my job as a police officer out there too. Wow. That's good. That is all great. I'm glad I got a chance to talk to you about leap of faith because yeah, you didn't look too hot. You looked like you were going to throw up or something. Yeah. I also, I'm like, it didn't help that I. I ate some food right before I walked up there too, who does that? Yeah. Nobody else that jumped ate before they jumped. I was the only one that ate before they jumped. I'm glad everything turned out well. You didn't, toss it up. It all stayed in. It all stayed in. Good. Okay. This is a I'm glad I got a chance to interview you. This is a short interview I want to do and let people know about again, about Partners in Hope, about how police are. Training their new people, especially in this Milwaukee area and how they are very community. Minded, so is there anything else you want to say to the audience before we in this great talk with you pretty much just. Just keep a, just, I want to say, just keep an open mind with new, with the newer police officers that are coming out there. I'm like, we all mean we all want to do right by it, right by everybody in the community. And if you have any suggestions and us doing something in a better way, feel free, let us know and we'll take that into consideration and we'll try to, do better. But besides that, I'm hoping to be a, be the best police officer I can. And that's about it. Thank you for being here. Mostly. I just want to thank you for joining the police force. And as we really do cherish you we thank you for doing. The service that you're going to be doing for us, because it's very important and definitely going to be praying for you and the family. Sorry, we want to stay safe. Thank you so much. And that's it for our interview today. Again, just thank you all for listening and may you have a week filled with blessings.