Lincoln University police academy begins

Director of Academic Affairs, professor and police academy instructor Joe Steenbergen talks Tuesday to the first class of cadets for the LU Law Enforcement Training Academy. The 17 trainees will spend five hours per day on weekdays and Saturdays learning about police work both in the classroom and hands-on in field training.
Director of Academic Affairs, professor and police academy instructor Joe Steenbergen talks Tuesday to the first class of cadets for the LU Law Enforcement Training Academy. The 17 trainees will spend five hours per day on weekdays and Saturdays learning about police work both in the classroom and hands-on in field training.

Lincoln University made history Tuesday at its first police academy class.

The university is the first historically Black college or university in the country to have a police academy.

LU Police Chief Gary Hill, who is the director of the program, said it was one of the most diverse police academy classes he's seen in his 25 years in law enforcement.

"That's something to be proud of," he said. "That means we're moving forward.

"That means we have a whole lot of work to do."

The 22-week program will take place each semester, beginning in January and August. Classes are 5-10 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays.

Seventeen students were accepted into the academy; 13 attended the first class Tuesday, including one white female, two Black females, six Black males and four white males, ranging from ages 19-33.

Out of those accepted, about 11 are traditional students, six are non-traditional students who were not Lincoln students, and two were already in law enforcement.

The academy teaches the Peace Officer Standards and Training Program curriculum, which all Missouri police academies must teach. POST requires 600 hours, but the university's program includes about 700, Hill said.

The first class was an introduction to the program, going over rules and expectations. The first couple weeks will include basic law enforcement and criminal justice curriculum, including Missouri statutes and laws, Hill said.

The rest of the program includes training and curriculum on topics such as firearms and shooting decisions; defensive tactics; domestic violence including de-escalation practices; a 40-hour first responders training course; and a 40-hour crisis intervention training course.

It will also include 60-90 hours at the Department of Social Services - which many academies don't do - to learn about child abuse, domestic violence, welfare and fraud, said Joe Steenbergen, assistant professor of criminal justice and director of academic affairs at LU. Steenbergen teaches the academy classes with Hill.

"I'll be d--ned if we don't put out some of the best officers Missouri's ever seen - that is my goal in life," Hill told the class Tuesday.

David Portz, 22, said he joined the academy with the goal of eventually going into SWAT or becoming a Behavioral Analysis Unit agent for the FBI. Portz is a criminal justice major at Lincoln, and he said he's wanted to be in law enforcement since high school.

"This is what I've been wanting to do for a long time to help and make change," he said.

Endre Jefferson, 25, said he joined the academy because he's always wanted to become a police officer to help his community, make a difference and gain trust.

"With trust comes respect, and the way things are going now, you need that trust and respect - because right now, most people don't feel so safe being around police," he said.

Steenbergen told the class he believes the criminal justice system is "messed up," and pointing fingers does nothing.

"It makes me happy to see you guys and gals stepping up to say, 'Hey, I want to make a difference,'" he said. "We can do this."

When George Floyd died from a police officer kneeling on his neck, the other officers didn't try to stop it, Steenbergen said to the class.

"Nobody was brave enough to do it," he said. "Somebody should have done it. Maybe it's you. Maybe you're a difference maker."

Hill told the class that police officers seen on the news are often the bad cops that shouldn't be in law enforcement, and everyone at the academy should be there to create positive change.

"Everyone in here is getting into law enforcement for their own personal reasons - to be the change that they want to see," he said. "It starts today."