Building trust and connecting with the community are key parts of training for new Columbus Police officers

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Monday was Officer Tykeria Harris’s first day as a member of the Columbus Police force.

“I’m very excited,” she said. “I’m also kind of nervous, of course.”

After 480 hours of training during 12 weeks at the Mississippi Delta Law Enforcement Training Academy, Police Chief Fred Shelton says this is where the real test begins for Officer Harris and her three fellow rookies with the CPD.

“This is where they get the on-the-job training when they learn to take what they learned in class and then apply it on the street,” the police chief says.

Each new officer must undergo nine weeks of field training with a veteran officer before they can be approved to go out on patrol themselves.

“They’ll ride with another senior officer and learn the policies and procedures and sort of learn the city,” Chief Shelton says. “Once they learn it, will put them out there and they’ll be on their own, they’ll be enforcing laws and making the city safe.”

On Monday afternoon, Officer Latessa Fluker took Officer Harris around Columbus to teach her about the different beats she’d be patrolling.

“Learn the perimeters, once she learns the perimeters, we’ll work the inside,” Officer Fluker says. “Display police presence, that’s our main goal. Get her to learn the beats.”

“(I want to) be taught everything the right way,” Officer Harris says. “No shortcuts. I want to learn everything as it’s supposed to be, by the book.”

Growing up in Louisville, Officer Harris says she knows it will be crucial for her to learn about Columbus and the people who call it home.

“Actually knowing what it’s like, what they go through, the things that go on and be someone that can communicate with them and understand,” she says.

That connection and having officers that residents see and talk to every day, are all part of how Chief Shelton hopes to grow the trust between the CPD and those they protect.

“It builds trust in the community when they see the officers outside of the car,” he says. “When they see them walking around in the community, that gives them a sense of safety and it also gives them a sense of connection.”

The new officers will have their progress monitored during the nine weeks of training and will need approval from their captain before they can go out on patrol. They will then have officer backup during their first four to six weeks.

“Once you get familiar with the families, they’ll know you on a last-name basis,” Officer Fluker says. “They’ll say ‘Hey Officer Fluker! Hey Officer Harris!'”