KENNEBUNK — The group was led down a series of brightly lit corridors by Kennebunk Police Acting Lt. Eric O’Brien, guided to a room in which Chief Robert MacKenzie stood behind a podium adorned with the department’s blue-and-white seal. Attendees jockeyed for the best available seats, and as MacKenzie watched them settle in with their notepads and handouts, he smiled benignly, his face side-lit by the glow of a television screen tuned to the first slide in a comprehensive PowerPoint display.

MacKenzie smiled.

“I’m glad everybody came back,” he said. “That’s a good sign.”

His warm welcome set the tone. Thursday was the second class in the KPD’s inaugural Citizens’ Academy program, and as he ceded the floor to O’Brien and Administrative Supervisor Candice Simeoni, the gathering’s goal was manifest: to educate, yes, but also to make the department more accessible ”“ less an entity set apart from the community and more an organization that’s an active part of daily life in the iconic oceanside town.

“Police, believe it or not, are human,” said Simeoni. “In spite of the fact that you ”˜can’t find one when you want one,’ they are usually there when it counts the most.”

The academy, which runs weekly through December, is an experiment in community outreach. Various personnel have participated in similar programs in the past, and felt that it would be a valuable experience in Kennebunk, bridging a perceived gap between police and the citizens they serve. To tackle the goal of humanizing officers and making them seem less intimidating, O’Brien and other members of the KPD have been educating the class on the various roles the department serves, lifting the curtain on the infrastructure and training involved in transforming an ordinary community member into an officer of the law.

“It’s something a few of us have done,” said O’Brien. “When we saw how well it worked, we thought it would work well here. Fortunately, our community is not riddled with crime, so we try to be more service-oriented.

“It’s designed to build a better relationship between police and our public,” he said, adding that the academy will also build “a better understanding of the public and where they come from. It works two ways, really.”

Among the first orders of business on Thursday was to introduce the class to a couple of department members ”“ Sgt. Andrew Belisle and Officer Audra Higgins ”“ to have them speak, in a personal way, about their experiences in law enforcement and the impact it’s had on their lives. Belisle in particular was able to shed light on some of the changes that have occurred in police work over the decades, having been in law enforcement for about 30 years.

With an increase in calls related to domestic spats and unruly children, Belisle said the department’s focus has gradually shifted to include more of a service role ”“ the “serve” part of “protect and serve.”

One of the biggest changes, he said, has been in the area of technology, with improvements in radio communication, speed-gauging radar equipment, and the ability of staff to run license plate and background checks.

“They keep telling me we actually used smoke signals back when I was a patrol officer,” he joked.

Higgins, meanwhile, said that she made a career switch from nursing to the law, and that while police work has its rough moments, she hasn’t regretted her decision.

“This is a wonderful community, and the agency ”“ I can’t say enough good things about it,” said Higgins. “Nursing is a wonderful profession, but I needed more. I needed adrenaline and speed.”

She got it, and hasn’t looked back.

“There’s something that makes us do this job,” she said. “And most of us can’t really explain it. But I love what I do. It’s who we are. We have a front-row seat to the greatest show on Earth; the stuff we see, most people never see.”

There was plenty for class members to digest. Light was shed on various aspects of a potential officer’s application process, from oral examinations and psychological screenings to mandatory 18-week training at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Belisle and Higgins also commented on some of the more difficult aspects of the profession, such as informing citizens of the deaths of family members.

Class member Ginny Allen found the talk instructive, and praised the department for enacting the Citizens’ Academy.

“They’re so friendly and so helpful here in town,” said Allen. “It was just wonderful to be able to ask questions, and I ask a lot of questions.”

Gwen Page said she became interested in the program because of her educational background. Having gone to law school, Page was intrigued by the prospect of learning more about the police side of the criminal justice system.

“I was interested in the role of the police, and what it takes to enforce the law,” she said. “It brings the law to the community. I know that they are role models, but I still think there’s a gap.”

The Citizens’ Academy, she said, helps to fill that gap.

Which is the point. And O’Brien anticipates that the benefit to the department will be two-fold; while making itself more accessible, he said he also hopes the academy will act as a sort of feeder system for the Volunteers in Police Services program, which began last year. Through VIPS, community members interested in volunteering basic services for the KPD have a chance to do so, providing they meet certain requirements. Currently, two people take part in VIPS, assisting department staff with clerical work and general problem-solving.

It’s all part of a life in public service that officers are quick to extoll as a positive influence ”“ one that affects them on a deeply personal level.

“This profession ”“ it becomes your life after a while,” said Higgins. “It becomes who you are.”

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 319 or [email protected].