MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Police Academy just saw its first graduating class in more than a year, with 26 officers now ready to protect the streets of Milwaukee.
“For the next couple months, they’re going to work with veteran officers. They’re going to take the training that they have and apply it in the real world,” Captain Timothy Leitzke, Director of Training, said.
“They’re going to start out observing, and by the end of two months, they’re the ones who will be making the critical decisions, they’ll be writing the reports and they’ll be taking cases all the way through the DA’s office if that’s what the investigation requires.”
Officer Daniel Lukasik says he’s no stranger to service, but he felt a particular need to serve the community as a police officer.
“While I was a firefighter, working alongside law enforcement, it kind of opened my eyes that I would like to work more closely with the community, so that’s why I switched,” Officer Lukasik said.
In particular, he says being an officer gives him more of an opportunity to serve the people of Milwaukee.
“That problem solving… I like to help people, see them when they need help, and be able to calm the situation, sit with them and tell them that everything is going to be alright. There’s always a bright light at the end of the tunnel, no matter what you’re going through.”
The Milwaukee Police Academy lasts 26 weeks and includes 720 hours of state-certified training. But Captain Leitzke says MPD officers have to do more than just the state-required amount of training.
“In Milwaukee, we give them an extra 3-4 weeks of training particular to policing in the city of Milwaukee.”
You can view pictures from the event in the slider below. You can also listen to Alex Crowe’s story from the MPD police officer graduation in the player at the top of the page.