The University of Maryland Police Department (UMPD) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), Lodge #23 are partnering to conduct a Community Police Academy (CPA). The CPA will educate the public in the daily operations of UMPD and provide the experience of “walking in a police officer’s shoes”, while affording invaluable insight to our police officers from the community members. This will be facilitated through education, interaction, and open discussion. UMPD will provide an informal academy experience to the participants, with classroom activities and discussion, as well as many hands-on experiences.
The informal class setting will encourage conversation among participants and police officers. Participants will be introduced to the academic and practical aspects of a police academy and they will become familiar with such topics as traffic law, crime scene investigations, and criminal law. There will also be an opportunity to participate in ride alongs with an officer. The academy experience will also include practical exercises and scenarios faced by police officers. This will be a unique experience to bring together, in a non-confrontational, learning environment, an array of citizens who will be encouraged to express their thoughts openly and honestly. The academy experience will conclude with an academy graduation.
The CPA will be each Wednesday from 2/8/17 to 4/19/17, 7pm-10pm at the Police Training Facility. There will be no class during spring break. Interested participants should live, work, or attend school in College Park, be at least 18 years old, successfully pass a criminal history, have no prior felony convictions and no misdemeanor convictions for offenses involving weapons or violence, and have no misdemeanor or felony arrests within 1 year prior to the Community Police Academy, and sign a Consent and Release liability waiver form. Complete the Community Police Academy application on-line at http://www.umpd.umd.edu/services/community_police_academy.cfm or email Lt. Payne at lpayne@umpd.umd.edu with questions.
Applications due by February 1st, 2017.
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