Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a police officer?
For an inside glimpse and hands-on experience, Officer Dennis Bane with the College Station Police Department says the 47th Citizen Police Academy is a free, ten week course that will expose students to all kinds of topics.
Bain says as students cover different topics each week, they’ll get a feel for what the department is like and what the officers actually do.
He says it’s an experience you won’t forget, and he hasn’t seen any students who haven’t been amazed and totally enjoyed themselves.
Bain says they’ll cover crime scene investigations, criminal law, SWAT team equipment and even a bomb-dismantling robot.
Other class days, they’ll get to go into the dispatch area, have a tour of the jail, ride along with an officer, and participate in building searches and traffic stops.
Students will also hear detectives’ explanations of how they investigated certain local crimes, and a county attorney will explain how a case is prosecuted.
He says the free ten week program will be every Tuesday evening from 6:30-9:30, running from February 12th until April 23rd.
Dennis Bain visits with WTAW’s Kat McMullen
Additional information, courtesy of the College Station Police Department:
Citizen Police Academy
The College Station Police Department is preparing to conduct the 47th session of the Citizen Police Academy.
This free ten-week program, slated to begin February 12, 2013, is designed to provide citizens with information on how the criminal justice system and police department operate, and how police and community residents can work together to reduce crime.
A variety of methods, from hands on classroom instruction to role-playing, and accompanying officers on their actual patrol shift, will provide community residents with a good look at police operations from the inside.
Topics covered by police instructors and outside experts will include Criminal Law, Traffic Law, Criminal Investigations, Crime Scene Investigation, Uniformed Patrol, Communications (911 Dispatch), Court System, S.W.A.T. / Negotiations, and much more.
Citizens interested in attending the Citizen Police Academy should complete an application.
Applications are available at the College Station Police Department, 2611 Texas Avenue.
You can also call 764-6277 to request an application by mail, email or fax.
Citizens can also go to http://cstx.gov/cpa for information and to apply online.
The deadline for applying is Friday, February 1st, at 5 p.m.
Again, there is no charge for the academy course.
Each session will run from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. every Tuesday night beginning February 12, 2013, and ending April 23, 2013.
Sessions will be conducted at the Police Department.
For more information, contact Police Assistant Patricia Logan, College Station Police Department, 764-6277 or plogan@cstx.gov, or Sgt. Calder Lively at 764-3624 or clively@cstx.gov.