The Citizens Police Academy in Springfield is one of about 30 in the state. It's a series of courses that give residents an inside look at the profession.
This year, the class included many people who are interested in bettering community relationships with police, especially in light of shooting deaths that have garnered attention over the past few years. We spoke with two of those people: Katharine Eastvold, and Sunshine Clemons, who is a co-founder of the area Black Lives Matter group. Tune in to hear about what they learned, and how they plan to use the knowledge going forward:
This story is part of an on-going series NPR Illinois is taking on - looking at how police and citizens are trying to better understand each other and improve relationships. Listen to the first story, here.
