The Green Bay Police Department building is seen Sept. 6, 2022. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — The curtain has now rang down on the fall 2026 Green Bay Police Department Community Academy. The program is led by various law enforcement officers with the goal to give residents an inside look at the department, their policies, and how they do what they do.
About 30 students just completed the class, including myself [Rachel Charniak].
Each 2 hour session on Wednesday nights centered around a different department within the department. The class allowed us to take tours, ask questions, and get hands-on experiences with tools and equipment used by law enforcement.
We learned about the professional standards division, the dive unit, forensics, K9s, the SWAT team, dispatch, use of force and traffic patrol.
I spoke with several students following each session to talk about what we learned.
“I was surprised by everything you have to go through to become a police officer. You have to go through so much.”
“Seeing their boats and equipment they use out on the water was pretty cool. There’s some pretty interesting sonars.”
“It was neat to do the magnetic powder and take a fingerprint.”
“With the Flock cameras, I think their transparency is unique compared to other police departments.”
“It was interesting seeing the difference in the drugs. When you look at TV shows, they’re always looking the exact same and seeing what they look like in real life is really different.”
“The scheduling is crazy and their hours, but their mindset is that they’re saving lives. So that’s cool.”
“I learned that the case law behind use-of-force law started from a gas station robbery.”
“It’s always assumed that [police] have a quota, and that they’re trying to make this many citations, and this many arrests. It’s not true.”
The Police Department Community Academy started back in the 90s, but has been running consistently for at least 18 years now with Crime Prevention Coordinator Melanie Skalmoski leading the effort.
“It’s important for [Green Bay residents] to know how government can operate, including the police department. They might see things in the news, but it’s an opportunity to get a more in-depth inside look into how those things all work,” said Skalmoski.
One of our presenters was Sgt. Sean Hamill.
“I’ve talked to the [Community Academy] a few times; talking about our traffic safety unit. Everybody who is coming here to talk is passionate about what they do, myself included,” said Hamill.
The Green Bay Police Department Community Academy runs every fall. The police department will announce registration and applications in summer 2027 for the next session.
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