The Colony Police Department will host a Citizen Police Academy on Thursday September 15th, 2022. Class #46 will start at 7pm.
The Citizen Police Academy started in 1994 and is a block of instruction designed to give the public a working knowledge of The Colony Police Department. It consists of a series of nine classes (last week is graduation), held once a week on Thursdays from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The instruction is comprehensive and each week covers a different area of the police department. Police officers assigned to work in a particular area will provide instruction.
Topics such as recruitment, training, communications, criminal investigations and narcotics are covered. We place particular emphasis on patrol, the division that the public is most often in contact with. Instruction is given by police personnel and consists of lectures, demonstrations and real-life scenarios. There is a tour of the police station and, as part of a firearm safety class, use of the gun range.
The slogan of the Citizen Police Academy is "Understanding through Education." The goal is to provide the citizens who attend with enough information to dispel suspicions and misconceptions, and to increase rapport through the education process. In turn, the public helps make the officers more aware of feelings and concerns within the community. Lastly, the students personally meet and talk with officers and the officers interact with all community groups represented.
We hope the graduates of the Citizen Police Academy take their new knowledge out into the community and educate others when the opportunity arises. These citizens will make decisions that affect the police department and our local community with heightened awareness and better information. As part of that effort, Academy graduates have established The Colony Citizens Police Alumni Association.
For more information and to apply for the program, please contact Officer Rick De La Cruz at [email protected] or 972-624-3934.
