Daniel has always wanted to be a police officer. Ask him what he wants to do for a living, and he’ll answer, “Stop the bad boys.” His favorite characters on television are the investigators on Law and Order and CSI.
So when staff at the BCFR supported living site where Daniel lives heard about a Citizen’s Police Academy sponsored by the Columbia Police Department, they knew exactly who to recruit: Daniel. The program was a dream-come-true for the 26-year-old.
Every Wednesday night for five weeks, Daniel and Maggie Ivich, a BCFR Supported Living Assistant, attended the academy. Before each session, Daniel picked out a nice outfit to wear – the first week he wore a suit – in hopes of landing a job with the police department.
“Daniel has greatly enjoyed this opportunity and takes it very seriously,” Maggie said.
For the first class, Daniel sat in on a shift meeting at the Columbia Police Department and met many of the officers. He also took a tour of the station. From there, the class moved to the police department’s regional training center where Daniel met the K-9 team, including the dogs. He has also met member of the Columbia S.W.A.T. team and learned about the inner-workings of the program. Daniel even had the chance to try on a S.W.A.T. team vest, inspect various vehicles and watch a S.W.A.T. team demonstration.
“He has made friends with the officers and other students in the class,” said Maggie.
Some of Daniel’s favorite moments in class have been seeing the drug dog in action, viewing a holding cell and watching videos of real police officers in action.
“It has been extremely rewarding to see Daniel’s excitement at one of his dreams coming true,” Maggie said. “We look forward to seeing where this journey takes him!”