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A continuing objective
for the Appleton Police Department is to create a feeling of
stability and security in the neighborhoods of the City of Appleton,
being as responsive as possible to community concerns regarding
police matters. In support of that objective, in January of
1994, we initiated a new program called the Citizens' Police Academy.
Program Goals
The Citizens' Police
Academy was created to provide general information to the
citizens of our community to help them make informed judgments about
the police department and its activities.
Over a period of 10
weeks (consecutive Monday evenings), a blend of
demonstrations, lectures, tours, ridealongs, and hands on
experiences offer an educational experience second to none.
The Appleton Police Department Citizens'
Police Academy consists of 30 hours of instruction. It is
designed to give the academy participant a working knowledge of the
policies, procedures and personnel of the Appleton Police Department
and our relationship to other criminal justice agencies. The Academy
consists of twelve different class sessions or events. Sessions are held once a week, for three hours in the evening. Individual
sessions may include lectures, demonstrations, tours and hands-on
experiences. The Department also provides a ride-a-long with a
patrol officer and an opportunity to observe the Emergency
Communications Center operations.
The Academy is held twice each
year - once in the spring and once in the fall. The minimum age for
enrollment is 17 and the citizen must live or work in the City of
Appleton to attend.
It is our intention to create
"Goodwill Ambassadors" for the Department. Each participant
leaves with the knowledge necessary to be able to inform other citizens about the Appleton
Police Department's activities and functions. The graduates of Citizens'
Police Academy are better
prepared to serve the community in volunteer positions and in leadership positions.
Program Content
The instruction of the Citizens'
Police Academy is comprehensive,
covering a different area of law enforcement each week. Officers,
supervisors and other law enforcement personnel assigned to
particular divisions conduct each instructional block.
The Academy includes such diverse
topics as criminal investigations, OMVWI procedures, crime
prevention, officer training, emergency communications, family
violence, juvenile law and the Special Tactics And Response
Team.
Emphasis will be placed on the patrol division as that is the
segment of the police department which has the most contact with the
public.
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