Citizen's Police Academy is a program designed to acquaint community residents who are not sworn

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

s with the activities of their local

police department The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and ...

. The programs vary by department. One common feature is the option to participate in a

ride-along A ride-along is an arrangement for a civilian to spend a shift in the passenger seat of an emergency vehicle, observing the work day of a police officer, firefighter, or paramedic. Ride-alongs are offered by many police departments around the wo ...

with a police officer for a shift to see what a day as a police officer is like.

Typical academy content

Programs include topics like: *Department Organization and Ethics * Overview of the Legal System - Criminal/Constitutional Law * Use of Force - Patrol Procedures * Firearms Training * SWAT Demonstrations * K-9 Demonstrations * Air Support * Homicide * Traffic/DWI Enforcement * Jail tours * Cadet Training * Bomb Squad * Forensics *Recruiting *Domestic Violence *Station Tour *Dispatch Tour *Crime Scene Investigation *Criminal and Youth Investigation

Related programs

* Community Emergency Response Team * Citizen's Fire Academy

External links

Austin Texas Citizen Police AcademyBoynton Beach Citizen Police AcademySpark's Citizen's Police Academy

New York CityElk Grove Village Police Academy

* Also see
List of other Citizens' Academies
Law enforcement in the United States Law enforcement in Canada {{law-enforcement-stub