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Public Safety
Better informed neighbors:
Citizen police academies energize and engage By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal
Although it may sound like a program to create quasi-cops, a citizen police academy gives residents a first-hand look at department operations so they can be better informed neighbors who are engaged in the community.
A gateway program According to Chief Derick Miller with the Carrollton, Texas, Police Department, citizen police academy participants gain a much greater understanding of how the department operates, what its challenges are and where their taxpayer dollars are going. He said the program also allows the community to get to know their police officers on a personal level. “In the case of the Carrollton Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy, it’s the gateway to our volunteer program,” he said. “Academy graduates often begin volunteering with us in many different capacities after their graduation.” Carrollton’s citizen police academy began in 1988 and has served as a flagship program pin in its community engagement portfolio for more than 30 years. Recently, the department graduated its 57th class and conducted its first Spanishspeaking class this past fall. Miller said the average class size ranges from 20 to 30 people and includes both men and women from all walks of life. He predicts that over 1,000 have completed the program in the past 33 years. “Carrollton is a very diverse community and many people who live here speak only Spanish, or are more comfortable communicating in Spanish,” Miller said. “It was important to us to serve our 40 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022
Graduates of Carrollton’s Citizen Police Academy pose for a group shot during one of their sessions. (Photo provided by Carrollton Police Department)
Pictured are East Hartford, Conn.’s, Citizen Police Academy 12th session graduates. The academy promotes understanding, communication and cooperation between members of the department and the people they serve. (Photo provided East Hartford Police Department)
