Citizen Police Academies

Citizen police academies (CPAs) are intended to provide community residents with insights into the nature of police work. These programs are designed to serve a community relations function by educating citizens about the structure and operation of their local police department. Citizens are exposed to the various problems faced by the police in their community in the hope that CPA graduates will become more sympathetic to the difficulties of modern police work. Ideally, graduates will act as advocates for their local police, multiplying such a program's benefits.

The idea driving CPA programs is that educating a small number of citizens on how local police agencies and officers operate will improve broader community support. This idea was first applied in 1977 in the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary in the United Kingdom. The Constabulary designed a 10-week “Police Night School” that select citizens were invited to attend. This school met one night a week, with different police personnel volunteering to teach various topics to the citizen-students. The curriculum was designed to provide attendees with a general understanding of British policing, as well as the challenges faced by local constables. The night school was well received by both constables [Page 58]and citizens, and similar programs were implemented in other British constabularies.

In 1985, the Orlando, Florida, Police Department implemented America's first CPA program. The structure and content of the curriculum used in Orlando was based upon the British model. The program also offered attendees the opportunity to observe an officer during a “ride along” and to receive basic training in the use of police firearms. In the following years, CPA programs were adopted by a number of agencies across the United States. Most of these programs continued to emulate the initial British model (a 10-to 12-week program meeting once a week for 3 hours), although agencies modified aspects of the curriculum to better reflect community issues. Most CPA programs are designed to educate the general public, but a small proportion have curricula designed to meet the needs and interests of senior citizens, youth, or business owners.

Research has estimated that about one third of medium and large police agencies operate some type of CPA. In one of the few studies to systematically examine the structure of CPA programs across the country, Vic Bumphus, Larry Gaines, and Curt Blakely (1999) found the average CPA was an 11-week program meeting once a week for 3 hours. These scholars found that the most common topics covered in CPAs were criminal law, patrol operations, investigations, crime prevention, use of force, community policing, narcotics enforcement, homicide investigation, community services, and a “ride along.” There is, however, variation in the content of CPA curricula. These researchers noted that some programs are used more as a public relations tool than as a mode of educating the public on the challenges of police work. They suggest that programs in the former category focus more attention on dynamic and exciting aspects of police work, such as firearms training, tactical demonstrations, and arrest procedures, and deemphasize community services, crime prevention, and investigations.

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