By John Sharp
Persons 18 and over who live, work or attend school in KCMO, pass background checks and want to learn more about all the functions of the Police Department and what they can do to work with police to help keep their families and neighborhoods safer should consider participating in the Citizen Police Academy which is offering a free 11-week training program this fall.
The training program will meet weekly from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning September 3 and concluding November 12 at Penn Valley Community College. The deadline for registration is August 20, and classes sometimes fill up.
The weekly sessions feature presentations by officers involved in many types of police work, field trips to department facilities and a one-shift ride-along with a patrol officer. Some of the topics explored include accident, criminal & narcotics investigations; firearms training; homicides; hostage negotiations; 911 services; and tactical response teams.
Graduates of the Citizen Academy will receive a graduation certificate from the chief of police and have the opportunity to join its alumni association which meets regularly to continue their training and to promote positive interaction between the department and the community.
Persons wishing to enroll in the fall training program may go online to www.kcpd.org and go to the Community tab and then click on Citizen Police Academy to download an application which can be mailed in to the address shown or emailed to Citizen Academy coordinator Angela McCune at angela.mccune@kcpd.org. who also can answer any questions about the program.