A Journal reporter spends a 3-11 p.m. shift on patrol as a participant in Providence police citizens training.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — No one calls the police about the naked man at the bus stop.

Officer Troy Lambert is driving by when he sees the man outside the Salvation Army in South Providence, sitting next to a woman who doesn't appear concerned. Lambert stops to talk to him.

The man ignores the officer and stands up in full display on Broad Street. The call goes over the radio: "Naked man ... Officer needs assistance."

When Officer Christopher Ziroli and I arrive, the man is smoking crack. He starts gyrating for me and other women at the bus stop, like "Magic Mike" with a crack pipe.

Some pull out their cell phones, recording the police and the street-side bump and grind. "You never know what you'll see out here," one woman says, laughing.

She could be describing the life of a police officer.

For the last 10 weeks, I've taken part in the Providence Police Citizens Academy with two dozen other civilians — journalists, lawyers, members of community and youth recreational organizations, religious leaders, business leaders, and even a Supreme Court judge — invited to learn about policing from the inside.

While other police departments in Rhode Island have held citizens academies, this is the first for the Providence Police Department. Chief Hugh T. Clements said that he and other officers have wanted to do this for years.

The timing was right. "The last 18 months have been a trying time for law enforcement," Clements tells our class. "When there's an incident, good or bad, anywhere, it's put on social media and it goes viral. We all know about it, and people who are friendly with us say, 'Why did the police officer do what he did?'

"We've seen situations when the community is right," he added. "By the same token, we deal with nuances. We have thousands of interactions with the public, and the amount of training that we go through serves us day in and day out."

When the call comes in, it's up to the police to figure out what to do. That's something that recruits will learn when the real academy starts in a few months. And it's what the citizens academy gave us a brief chance to experience, through discussions, role-playing and ride-alongs, before graduating Wednesday.

"The academy teaches you what you need to know," says Ziroli, in his sixth year as a patrolman. "But when you're on the job, everyone's looking at you. .. and every call is different."

As a crowd gathers on Broad Street, I wonder what the training is for a naked man who's high on something.

Ziroli and Lambert stand near him and order him to put his hands behind his back. Their stance and tone of voice, calm and assertive, make the point. The man complies and he's handcuffed and taken to Rhode Island Hospital for an evaluation.

Not quite three hours later, Ziroli does a double-take as we drive by another bus stop on Broad Street. "He's back out."

The man, now dressed and appearing sober, walks over and leans on the cruiser's open window.

"I was having a bad day," he says. "I was fighting with my lady, went out to find some bud, and got some bad stuff."

As we drive away, Ziroli looks in his rear-view mirror, making sure the man is OK.

Before joining the Providence police, Ziroli, 28, was a correctional officer at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility. Some of the skills are the same, he said.

"A lot of this job is going on your instincts, but you need to have facts that back up your suspicion," Ziroli said. "Take a step back: What do you know about the person? What do you know about the area? Have you had prior contacts?"

When the radio is briefly quiet, Ziroli drives through his district, to show a presence. "I try to look for good quality felony arrests, like narcotics and firearms," he said. "It's all about knowing people. You develop a rapport with people, and they start telling you things."

Life in the city unfolds through the windows of the cruiser.

We drive through Federal Hill, where Frank Sinatra's voice croons from bustling restaurants, as loud as the Spanish music from bodegas in the West End. Children run toward the Davey Lopes Recreation Center in South Providence, where a man's voice booms on a speaker: "It's summer time in the South Side!"

An older man dances on the island between Broad Street and Elmwood Avenue, hiding his panhandling change cup. "At least, I don't have this out," he tells Ziroli. "I have some kind of respect for you, officer."

A full moon is rising as Ziroli steers down Hanover Street in the West End and pauses by Minnie, a wizened and intoxicated woman, who shouts F-bombs at his cruiser. "Nice mouth," he tells Minnie, who hurls more obscenities.

Gang hangouts are quiet tonight. A parade of little girls skip down the sidewalk, pausing to wave at Ziroli. "See you tomorrow!" they call out.

"See you tomorrow!" he responds.

There's a radio call about a disturbance on a West End street. As Ziroli pulls up, there's a large crowd, mostly women, shouting in the street and outside a three-story house. Other officers have separated the loudest ones and sent some on their way.

"She called my daughter a 'hoe.' My daughter's 17!" one woman yells.

Officer Lambert, whose body camera is recording, talks to her. "That's just words," he says. "I'm going to teach you a lesson for your kids: 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.'"

The woman laughs and hugs her daughter. "OK, I'll try."

It takes time, but the crowd eventually disperses peacefully, and so do we.

On this night, everyone goes home safe.

amilkovits@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7213

On Twitter @AmandaMilkovits

By the numbers

404 — Number of officers

125,000 — Average annual reported calls for service.

500 — Average number of times all Providence officers draw their firearms per year.

1 — Number of times a Providence officer fired a shot in 2015 (this involved an accidental shot into a wall during a search).

Communities with Citizens Police Academies

Bristol, Burrillville, Cranston, Cumberland, East Providence, Middletown, North Providence, Pawtucket, Portsmouth, Scituate, Smithfield, Warwick, West Warwick, and the state police.

Source: Providence Police Department